American School For The Deaf Graduates Told To Have Hope

The American School for the Deaf of West Hartford held its 200th
commencement ceremony and graduation on Tuesday night. The 2017
ASD high school class included 27 students graduating at this year's event.

14.06.2017
Returning to his alma mater Tuesday night, Jonathan Serrano told the 200th American School for the Deaf graduating class that in a world that feels anxious and is filled with negativity, they must have hope.

"Hope — I don't mean by just kind of keeping your fingers crossed, but really feeling that sense of hope that the world is going to be a better place for future generations and children," Serrano said through ASD interpreter Janice Knauth. "Hope is like the fuel that ignites the fire within all of us and we have to have the right mindset for this. If you have that hopeful mindset and you confront a problem or frustration or experience challenges, you'll know that you can do it. If you don't have that right mindset, you can feel like giving up. You must maintain that feeling of hope."

After graduating from American School for the Deaf in 1998, Serrano graduated from Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., became an elementary school teacher at the Texas School for the Deaf, and currently works as the director of academic affairs there. Recently, it was announced that Serrano will take over as the superintendent of the Atlantic Area Day School for the Deaf in Georgia.

American School for the Deaf Executive Director Jeffrey Bravin noted the school's 200th anniversary and some of the school and nation's firsts for deaf education in his speech. The school — the birthplace of American Sign Language — this year marked a new milestone by hosting a radio show through Facebook live video.

"Your graduation here tonight is because of your hard work and dedication," Bravin said through interpreter Knauth.

Sachin Tyner, 20, of Leverett, Mass., gave the class address. Tyner grew up in an orphanage in India and was the only deaf child there. He said he remembers learning Hindi Sign Language before he was adopted by an American family at 8 years old and began learning English. Thanking his friends, family and teachers at ASD, Tyner asked each graduate to hand flowers to special people in their lives.

Class President Faith Hensel, 19, of Danbury, said as "the last of the 90s babies to graduate" they will face a new chapter and different paths.

"We all will have some struggles after high school, but hopefully we will learn from our challenges and become successful," Hensel said through Knauth.

The 27 graduating seniors, in white robes and orange sashes that read "Class of 2017" with the ASL sign for "I love you" above the number 200, come from different parts of the world — including the United Arab Emirates.