After more than 12 years of school, the big day of graduation has finally arrived.
Many of Worcester Polytechnic High School's 307 seniors were nervous about receiving their diplomas, but they also felt a sense of accomplishment when they realized their long-dreamt-long proud walk across the graduation stage would include a handshake they'll never forget: with one of the most influential people in the world.
“I remember being so nervous and telling myself not to cry while I was onstage,” recalled Luisanna Castillo, a 2014 graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
It's been 10 years since President Barack Obama promised Worcester Polytechnic Institute graduates a graduation ceremony unlike any other in Worcester Public Schools history. President Obama was the main speaker at the June 11, 2014 ceremony.
It was the president's only high school graduation speech of the year.
In a witty 26-minute speech to a packed and bustling DCU Center, the current president joked that his post-ceremony party was more interesting than the ceremony itself, and he also spoke about the importance of job training.
“Whatever you do from now on, I want you to continue to give back,” President Obama told the graduates, “and that might mean staying in Worcester and working for one of the companies that helped train you.”
“Whatever you do, whatever path you take, we want to make sure you understand the great leadership we now expect from you.”
In his words:Text of President Obama's speech at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute commencement ceremony (June 11, 2014)
The president's presence at the graduation ceremony solidified Worcester Polytechnic Institute's status as one of the state's top technical schools. A year earlier, the school's principal, Sheila M. Harrity, had been named the nation's high school principal of the year. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan toured the school three months before the graduation and was so impressed that he authorized the president's visit.
Attention was drawn to Worcester Polytechnic Institute following a mysterious school assembly in March 2014. Students gathered in the auditorium for an important announcement, and school officials were curious as to what the big news was.
Then Harrity let the seniors in on a secret: the president of the United States would be at the graduation. A video of Obama was projected onto a big screen. The auditorium erupted in screams and applause, and some students wondered if they were being pranked.
The song “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors echoed through the venue.
“I remember the initial shock of getting the call from the White House and the excitement of telling my students about the president's visit,” recalled Harrity, who served as president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute from 2006 to 2014. He was president of Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School in Fitchburg before becoming program coordinator for the Massachusetts Association of Career Managers. “I also remember the sound of helicopters hovering over town on graduation day to make sure the president was safe.”
During the ceremony, the president took the opportunity to personally address students and officials, some of whom embraced each other. He mentioned several by name in his speech.
Photographs from that day show the president interacting and sharing smiles with graduating class representative Naomi Desilets, class president Reginald Sapone and Harrity.
The president greeted each student as they crossed the stage to receive their diploma.
“I remember walking across the stage like it was yesterday,” said Carlos Robles, Class of 2014. “I saw one of my favorite teachers getting ready to announce my name as I crossed the stage, security praising my accomplishments, and then the most anticipated moment came – shaking hands with the president. I was nervous to say the least, but after the handshake, we exchanged a sweet shake and hug. It was so cool – I got to shake hands with the president.”
Robles currently lives in Leicester and works in real estate and youth work. He and his wife, Isabel (a 2016 graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute), have three children.
Luisanna Castillo, a college graduate who taught in Lawrence and now works in outpatient care at a community health clinic, jokes that the pep talks not to cry didn't do much: She broke down in tears as she walked across the stage.
Her emotions were born of gratitude in the moment.
“As the daughter of immigrants, I've worked so hard to make my family proud of the sacrifices they made to get to this point, so having my whole family experience that moment with me was truly rewarding and even more special,” Castillo said.
“I still remember a key part of his speech that inspired me to become a teacher and now a mental health clinician, because he was talking about how at some point in our lives, someone invests in us and then it's our turn to invest in someone else. This is something I've lived both professionally and personally.”
It's not uncommon for presidents to be guest speakers at Worcester graduations, but they usually take place at the city's colleges. In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt gave commencement speeches at both Clark College and College of the Holy Cross. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson spoke to the graduates of College of the Holy Cross.
President Obama arrived in Worcester mid-afternoon on June 11, landing at Worcester Regional Airport. In addition to the Secret Service, over 200 police officers from within and outside the city were on hand to provide security at the airport, city streets, and inside and outside the DCU Center. The motorcade traveled down Highland Avenue into downtown Worcester, where residents lined the streets hoping to catch a glimpse of the famous visitor. (Mayor Edward M. Augustus Jr. later estimated the city's security costs at $200,000.)
Air Force One's landing at Worcester Regional Airport was a welcome sight for Congressman James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, who was there to welcome the president to the city along with Governor Deval L. Patrick and Mayor Joseph M. Petty.
McGovern said he contacted organizers in Washington a few days ago and confirmed that Air Force One's itinerary was landing in Worcester, not Boston.
“We have to land at Worcester Regional Airport,” McGovern recalled saying at the White House. “We're trying to promote this airport.”
McGovern said his memories of Worcester Polytechnic Institute's graduation ceremony were mostly of the “enthusiastic” atmosphere at the DCU Center. During another meeting at the White House a few weeks later, the president told McGovern, “I really enjoyed my visit to Worcester. It's a great school,” McGovern recalled.
A graduation photo hangs in Mayor Petty's office and includes him, President Obama and Melinda Boone, who was Worcester's superintendent of schools at the time.
“But the overall atmosphere of the ceremony itself was unlike anything I'd ever experienced,” Petty recalled. “I was thrilled that President Obama was there throughout the ceremony. Every student who wanted a hug got one.”
