On Tuesday, June 15, over 70 students at Foundation Academy Collegiate, a high-performing public charter high school in Trenton, 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 – a new record for the school. The Class of 2021 also broke the school’s previous record for college scholarships and grants, amassing over $17.1 million across the student body.

Students from the Class of 2021 will attend more than 25 different post-secondary institutions, including trade schools and the military. Schools students will be attending 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.”

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