MILWAUKEE — With high school graduation just around the corner, the Boys and Girls club of Greater Milwaukee celebrated its Grad Plus class of 2023 on Wednesday night.
The Grad Plus helps students to and through college. The program currently has about 800 students, in high school and college, participating.
This year 83 Milwaukee high school seniors made the commitment to pursue higher education at a ceremony in front of family, friends, and the communities that built them.
"I will be attending UW Madison in the fall on a full-ride scholarship," Audubon High School senior Noah Buendia shared.
Buendia plans to study bio-medical engineering and hopes to help people facing mental health challenges.
He said it's the Grad Plus program that got him where he is today.
"They've helped me all the way through high school. I'm just extremely grateful," Buendia said.
Andre Douglas works with the Boys and Girls Club Graduation Plus program. He said, "A day like today changes the narrative for our city. There's so much bad news in our city, so many bad things that are perceived as happening in our city. To shine the light on what's happening positively in our city is a game changer."
The Grad Plus program not only helps students apply to college but helps them apply for and receive scholarships and it ensures students have an easy transition into higher education.
"Many of our students are low-income, first-generation students. So this is a life-changing moment not just for students, but for families as well," Douglas said.
While the focus of the program is on college, the club knows that path isn't for everyone. This year they celebrated a first as a high school senior who plans to join the U.S. Marines was also honored for his commitment to his country.
Whether it's Madison or boot camp, Buendia knows his class has a bright future.
"I'm very proud of my class, 2023! We're going to do amazing things."
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