Congratulations to the Foundation Academy Collegiate Class of 2021

FA Collegiate Class of 2021!

On Tuesday, June 15, 2021, seventy-one students at Foundation Academy Collegiate graduated at Thunder Stadium in front of hundreds of teachers, faculty and family members, marking the end of their high school careers and capping a school year like never before. 

Despite the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year, forcing much of instruction to be remote, FA Collegiate continued its success in getting every student admitted into college, for the eighth year in a row. The Class of 2021 also broke the school’s previous record for college scholarships and grants, amassing over $17.1 million.

Students from the Class of 2021 will attend more than 25 different post-secondary institutions, including trade schools and the military. This year we are celebrating a number of firsts, with graduates heading to the University of Maine, Smith College, East Stroudsburg University, Villanova, and the U.S. Navy. Other schools that will welcome our graduates in the fall include Princeton University, Rutgers University, Pace University, Bloomfield College, and many more.

“For FA Collegiate, it’s been an unprecedented year because of the pandemic – and a record-setting one for our students. The Class of 2021, despite extraordinary obstacles, blazed new trails, continuing a nearly decade-long streak of a 100% graduation rate and securing more than $17 million in scholarship dollars. We’re enormously proud of them for their achievements,” said Foundation Academy Collegiate Principal Melissa Campbell. “These students have already proven they are more than ready for college and beyond, demonstrating tremendous resilience and perseverance in the face of new and unforeseen challenges. We are confident that they will take the lessons learned here and go on to pursue their dreams and change their communities for the better – we will be watching and cheering them along every step of the way. On this special day, we also thank and celebrate our incredible teachers and staff for their selfless, unrelenting dedication – we simply could not have done this without them.”

“Our students have demonstrated incredible resilience and determination. They have pursued excellence and broken boundaries no matter how challenging the circumstances,” said Graig Weiss, CEO of Foundation Academies. “It has been a pleasure to watch our students learn and grow here and develop as leaders. Today, we celebrate this group of extraordinary scholars – I’m thrilled to see what’s next for them.”

Our graduation ceremony keynote address was delivered by Arlene Quinones-Perez, an Equity Partner and the Director of Diversity & Inclusion at DeCotiis Law. Co-valedictorians Josh Gutierrez and Marilyn Flores Santos as well as salutatorian Gabriel Marin Carabajo also delivered speeches to graduates.

Relive Graduation Day 2021 

Thanks to live streaming video technology, we were able to stream the ceremony online for families who were not able to attend in person. More than 520 viewers tuned in from 18 states, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Italy, and Korea.  If you weren’t able to join us live, you can watch the full graduation ceremony replay on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/38HXpK_5VI4 

See FA Collegiate’s Graduation Featured in Local News!

See the Official 2021 Graduation Photo Gallery

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Michelle Lawlor

Michelle Lawlor, Marketing and Communications Associate, spearheads Foundation Academies’ marketing and communication efforts. Born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey, Michelle holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism/Multimedia Communications from Rider University.