June 26, 2012

EAST HARTFORD HIGH GRADUATES 402
Rojas Reminds Them to Be 'Idealists Without Illusions'

By Melissa Traynor, Hartford Courant

HARTFORD — State Rep. Jason Rojas told the 126th graduating class of East Hartford High School Monday that he was going to treat them as adults.

So Rojas, the keynote speaker and a 1994 alumnus, dove right into pressing topics: climate change, globalization, technology and growing population.

Throughout his address at The Bushnell Monday night, he pressed the 402 seniors to be optimistic, but avoided sugar-coating the world they are now entering.

"Graduates, what do you do when an 18-year-old in China or in Vietnam or India is willing to work full-time for $21 a week building your cell phone when you need $100 just to pay the bill?" he asked.

However, he told them they are also coming of age in a "time of tremendous opportunity."

"Our global problems are yours to solve," Rojas said. "Commit the next five to10 years and prepare yourselves to become the next generation of scientists, teachers, business and nonprofit leaders who take on our global problems."

Fulfilling that responsibility includes being good stewards of the environment and holding legislators accountable, he said.

Rojas, who recently earned his master's degree in public policy from Trinity College, also encouraged the graduates to make education a lifelong quest.

"You're never too old to go back to school," he told them and said that the key to being able to compete in a global economy should be education. For those entering college immediately, Rojas argued for "striking the right balance" between the social scene and studying.

Class President Rachel Conboy, Salutatorian Shyam Patel and Valedictorian Joshua Dillon reflected on their four years in East Hartford and how they will have to abandon their familiar school for the uncertainties and successes of adult life.

Conboy said that the group's senior year presented them with adversity as a community — the school lost Marcum Asiamah, 15, in a drowning accident, among other things — but said her classmates should be encouraged about their futures after enduring such events.

"When times get rough and seemingly impossible, I want you to remember something: you are a Hornet," she said. "Let this past year be a testament to our strength as Hornets. We will never stop fighting for success."