Mia Frazier

by Jen Myers

LOWELL – Mia Frazier, a member of the Lowell High School Class of 2022, just completed her first year at Gordon College where she is in the Clarendon Scholars program, an urban leadership and development honors program that prepares students for careers as city leaders.

She returned to Lowell in June to celebrate the 70 recent Lowell High School and Career Academy graduates who participated in Elevate New England, a program to which she credits her success.

Frazier said when she was a high school student participating in Elevate, she engaged in a lot of community service at the food pantry and through other venues that provided her with great perspective. She sees her work in the Clarendon Scholars program as an extension of the work she did with Elevate, an organization to which she remains deeply connected.

Elevate Executive Director Rhea Gordon, Maryann Mbugua, Tom Colatosti, Nancy Colatosti, LHS Head of School Mike Fiato, and recently retired LHS Assistant Principal Dr. Maria Vejar

“They (Elevate’s Teacher-Mentors) helped me a lot with getting scholarships in order to be able to go to Gordon,” she said, adding that Elevate’s Pipeline Coordinator Kendra Gordon and Executive Director Rhea Gordon still call and check in with her. “I feel very supported and connected to Elevate in many ways. I look forward to being a part of Elevate in some way in the future and giving back to my community”

Elevate is an elective at LHS and the Career Academy that provides classes in leadership, character building, college & career readiness, as well as an opportunity to participate in community improvement projects, including working in classrooms with younger students.

The motto of Elevate New England is “No one gets there alone” and that sentiment was strong in remarks made by students, teachers, staff, and board members throughout the evening. The organization put together a beautifully decorated celebration for the graduates at the Shedd Park Pavilion, with a catered dinner and fancy mini-desserts. Each graduate was gifted an Elevate New England hoodie to keep them warm, and remind them of where they come from as they head out into the world. In addition to Elevate’s staff and board members, the graduates were also joined by Lowell High School Head of School Mike Fiato, Assistant Principal Maria Vejar, and Student Support Services Clerk Darmery Montoya.

Elevate Graduates and Staff

The 70 Elevate mentees that graduated this year are off to pursue their dreams. One has enlisted in the U.S. Navy; other are off to colleges including: Bridgewater State University, Bunker Hill Community College, Quinsigamond Community College, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Marist College, Merrimack College, Northern Essex Community College, UMass Lowell, UMass Amherst, UMass Boston, UMass Dartmouth, and the Wentworth Institute of Technology; while others are off to vocational programs in dental, plumbing, electrical, and welding, or to work in the automotive, childcare, healthcare, or hospitality industries.

“With this program our students grow so much as individuals; they get more responsibility and challenge themselves to do things they felt like they couldn’t do,” said Elevate Teacher-Mentor Daniel Saigbah. “Our students are mentors as well. The elementary kids see them every week, get to know them, and they grow good relationships with these kids. I want to congratulate all of you guys for coming this far and I’m hoping you are able to make a difference out there in the world whether it be college, military, or work the same way you made a difference in these kids’ lives.”

Elevate Executive Director Rhea Gordon, Joshua Gonzalez, Tom Colatosti, Nancy Colatosti, LHS Head of School Mike Fiato, and recently retired LHS Assistant Principal Dr. Maria Vejar

Two of the graduates left the Pavilion with something much larger than a hoodie. Joshua Gonzalez and Maryann Mbugua were the recipients of $5,000 scholarships from the Rhea Gordon Scholarship Fund. The scholarship, named in honor of Elevate New England’s Executive Director Rhea Gordon, is funded by board member Tom Colatosti and his wife Nancy.

Elevate Teacher-Mentor Adam Tran, who works with students at the Career Academy, left the graduates with perspective about their journey.

“This journey you have all been a part of has been filled with many obstacles, doubts, and moments of uncertainty,” he said. “But through it all you have demonstrated such grit and tenacity which has brought you to this very moment. Perseverance is not about never failing; it is about rising each time we stumble; it is about finding strength within ourselves to push through adversity and to embrace failure as a stepping stone to success.”

For more information about Elevate New England, visit: https://www.elevatenewengland.org/