The STRIVE Club and guest speaker Akeem Lloyd. Photo by Ms. Jose.

By Aleyshka Barbosa

STRIVE has hosted various events this school year, to get students involved and love the education that they are receiving. These include the Zero Free Challenge, Zumba nights, STRIVE Awards, and the seventh annual motivational assembly.

The Zero Free Challenge attracted 20 students, but was only successfully completed by six students: Marilyn Herrera, Riya Rana, Linzy Reyes, Ashley Tepale, Merelin Ponce, and Andrea Negrete. Their grades from the first marking period to the second marking period went up one or two letter grades because of this one decision to submit all of their work.

Six students completed the STRIVE Zero Free Challenge: Linzy Reyes, Ashley Tepale, Riya Rana, Merelin Ponce, Andrea Negrete, and Marilyn Herrera (not pictured). Photos by Ms. Jose.

On Monday, April 3, sophomore classes were given the opportunity to attend the motivational speech. In this assembly STRIVE members got to represent their clubs mission with their new t-shirts and staff member also showed their support by wearing their STRIVE t-shirts as well.

The guest speaker, Akeem Lloyd, is a youth advocate and poet. His words were astonishing especially because most students didn’t expect him to be so real and not simply tell them to “stay in school.”

Lloyd began and ended with a poem. He spoke about the importance of breaking the cycles that so often trap our youth and lead them down the wrong paths in life. Student Ritesh Rana said, “His way of words definitely touched my heart.”

“Some people think this is funny and I’m getting tired of it! I’m getting tired of young people who look like us going to jail” Lloyd said when trying to get us to understand that we are not what are labeled.

Many students were captivated by his words. His message when making the sophomore class repeat after him, “I am beautiful. I am brave. I am strong,” left them with something to think about.

After the assembly, he was presented with a certificate of appreciation from Ms. Jose and the rest of the STRIVE members.  Student Emeli Soriano, wrote him a thank you note which read, “I like how you got real with everyone; it was much needed.”

Akeem Lloyd’s message and theme of breaking the cycle, made the students have hope that the cycle could be broken and that one day they could be the one to break it.