Gov. Gregoire speaks at Washington Youth Academy�s first graduation ceremony

For Immediate Release: June 27, 2009

BREMERTON � Gov. Chris Gregoire today congratulated the 83 members of the first graduating class of the Washington Youth Academy. Maj. Gen. Timothy Lowenberg and other dignitaries joined in the celebration with hundreds of family members to mark the occasion.

�I am tremendously proud of these young men and women,� Gregoire said. �They are proof that when we provide our young people with the attention they need and deserve, they take pride in their future and commit to turning their lives around. I fought hard to bring this program to Washington. I knew it was the right thing to do. And I�m proud to see this program empowering so many young men and women.�

Gregoire, with the help of U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks and the support of the state Legislature, helped secure state and federal funding in 2007 to build the Washington Youth Academy. A quasi-military training and mentoring program for at-risk youth, the program aims to give youth a second chance to become responsible and productive citizens by helping them improve their life skills, education levels and employment potential.

�These young men and women have worked so hard to finish this phase of the program, and I am very proud of them,� Lowenberg said. �So many stakeholders have partnered with us to bring this program to fruition, and our state will continue to reap the benefits of investing in the lives of our young people.�

The academy welcomed its first class in January and is already seeing success. Karen Torres had been failing school for two years and was suspended on several occasions. While at the academy, she earned academic achievement awards. She plans to attend summer school to earn her high school diploma, and hopes to attend college on her path to be an orthodontist.

In high school, Zachary Johnson had been expelled for fighting and was arrested several times for alcohol and substance abuse. While attending the academy, his grandmother died. Despite his loss, Johnson was determined to succeed. In the fall, he plans to graduate from high school and join the U.S. Army.

�Today, instead of facing a future with limited job possibilities, you face a brighter future and you�re on a road headed to somewhere,� Gregoire said. �And that somewhere is filled with promise and potential.�


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