June 17, 2022
On June 9, family, friends and mentors celebrated the 42 graduates of AHC’s College & Career Readiness (CCR) program. This was the highest number of graduating students since the program began. The CCR program also saw the largest number of overall participants this year, with 69 juniors and seniors from area high schools.
This year’s graduating students included a POSSE scholar, several students with full rides to college – and even two juniors who graduated early! Read more about the students heading to college.
As always, mentors played important roles in the success of the students. Their dedication and connection to the students was a game-changer. Ludwin Alvarez has worked with long-time mentor Marjorie Macieira since sixth grade, and she supported him through Teen Tutoring and CCR. In fact, Ludwin has been in AHC’s educational programs since first grade.
The keynote speaker at the event was Flor Caceres Godoy, a 2018 CCR alumni, Posse scholar and recent graduate from Lafayette College. Along with her valuable insights and advice for the graduates, she shared, “I know my number one fear going into college and high school, because both of them were predominantly white students, faculty and staff, was ‘am I going to fit in?’ The answer is no. You are not supposed to. You are meant to stand out. You are meant to shine brighter than ever before.”
Thank you to all of our mentors, volunteers, community partners, and supporters for helping AHC’s graduates shine bright!
2022 Graduating Students
Abigia Mulugeta
Afrin Akhtar
Alishaba Hayat
Amelia Castro
Anand Tselmeg
Andy Garcia
Anwar El Gattari
Ayman Adam
Azucena Moreno
Betel Bereket
Carla Bacerra
Carolina Soto
Cecilia Fosso
Claudia Andrade
Daisy Cabrera
Davis Orellana
Franklin Garcia
Fraol Gurmu
Gabriel Lara
Gabriella Perla
Hermon Gebreezgi
Iyar Soliman
Joanna Viruez Guzman
Joel Jonathan Escobar
Juhud Abdulkhadir
Karen Gonzales Cifuentes
Laetitia Noutcha
Logan Salinas
Ludwin Alvarez
Maha Bouchareb
Margad Enkhbat
Margot Rodriguez
Mia Henry
Nichole Escobar-Rojas
Nicolas Lopez
Nirusma Dahal
Simon Kahsay
Petros Kebede
Sahara Sania
Sara Berhe Abraha
Williz Zamorio
List of all the mentors
Ashly Winfield
Eric Hannon
Evan Heit
Sydney Gang
Susan Leland
Rick Carter
Pascale Pierre
Soonho Kwon
Sarah Kolk
Peter C. Pfieffer
Sharon Showalter
Chelsea Jones
Mariah Creech
Janet Bickel
CJ Park
Laurel Holmes
Adrienne Eng
Lizzie Utset
Greg Frey
Marjorie Macieira
Chelsea Legendre
Elsy Lopez
Katherine Swanson
Cindy Santner
Emily Kane
Jeanne Sweeney
Charles Barbour
Tara Claeys
About AHC Inc.
AHC Inc., a nonprofit developer based in Arlington, VA, builds and preserves affordable and mixed-income housing in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC. Since 1975, AHC has developed more than 8,200 apartments in the mid-Atlantic region, including 3,400 in Arlington. AHC’s Resident Services program reaches thousands of children, teens, adults, and seniors each year through onsite education and social service programs and activities.
Media Contact: Jennifer K. Smith, Director of Communications, jennifer.smith@ahcinc.org/ 703-486‑0626 x1118