Good morning City Academy, Faculty, Staff, Family and Friends. As most of you may know I am Whitney Gross and I would first like to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who made today possible. At the beginning of the year, we were all filled with uncertainty of whether or not this day would happen, but here we are. So on behalf of the Graduating Class of 2021, we would like to extend our gratitude. We appreciate all that you have done to make this day possible.

Being at City Academy is a privilege. It’s almost like an opportunity or chance of a lifetime. I say this from experience because as you transition throughout each grade level and even develop greater intellectual and character skills , you are bound to find the heart of City Academy. The students, faculty, and staff; we are built on community. We are like a small village where you make a friend or two, maybe even more. You become closer with others and create strong relationships and partnerships. As you evolve or even transition into the next phase of your life, you will leave a path behind you. A path that represents who you are, what you do and why you do it ; your failures but most of all your feats. Your path contains your footprints that prove what you have accomplished through the years that has made a change in others, your community, and yourself. But as for me, I’m going to leave City Academy with a LEGACY. A legacy of being an ambassador, with an intentional kind heart and determination willing to help my community. I leave this stage, walking through the door of a new life, of new chances, of change. I want to walk off in style of course, but also leaving my reputation behind me and on my way to create a new LEGACY .