SALEM — New Liberty Innovation School celebrated the graduation of the Class of 2026 at the Peabody Essex Museum Wednesday night at a full Morse Auditorium.
Along with Salem school officials and administrators, special guests included former superintendent, now state education secretary Stephen Zrike and commencement speaker Cynthia Nina-Soto (Salem High Class of 1999).
For New Liberty Principal Jamaal Camah ‘96, this commencement was particularly meaningful: Currently in his fourth year, he arrived at the school when the graduates were freshmen.
“The highest human act is to inspire,” Camah said. “Our journeys are parallel. When you entered your ninth grade, so did I. You were faced with challenges and small victories and were presented with more obstacles, which you overcame.
“I’ve watched every one of you do just that, project after project, presentation after presentation. When I’ve been faced with obstacles and doubt, I’ve asked myself, ‘how would (students) Sofia, Tyrone or Brennan handle it?’ I think about the things you would do,” he said.
Zrike, named state education secretary in March, returned to Salem to remind the class of Salem’s recent progress on the MCAS, improved attendance and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education ranking.
“This is the class that has produced some of those record-breaking numbers,” Zrike said. “You’re all the embodiment of the Portrait of a Graduate. Earning a diploma plus a whole stack of credentials.
“I’ve been with you the last six years,” he added. “You’ve taken and passed early college courses, completed demanding internships, crushed your academics. We’ve seen record improvement in classes and attendance. I’ve been around a lot of schools. New Liberty is a place of connection like I’ve never seen before.”
Mayor Dominick Pangallo echoed Camah’s statements of challenges and detours. “Life is a GPS that’s always recalculating,” he said. “Always be willing to take the next step. The world today needs resilience with empathy, creativity and courage. And that’s the New Liberty Class of 2026.”
Nina-Soto, a Realtor who taught a real estate class during the fall semester at New Liberty, passionately encouraged the graduates to ‘“keep showing up.”
“Your future is not determined by where you started,” she said. “How you show up matters, during the easy moments, but difficult ones too. Success comes and goes, but character follows you everywhere you go.”
Nina-Soto told the class of the many challenges she and her family faced when they immigrated from the Dominican Republic when she was 8 years old, including living on public assistance and the inability to speak English.
“When the world places expectations on you, you tend to believe them,” she noted. “Do not confuse a delayed path with a failed one. Everyone’s path is different. Choose your circle wisely. People who challenge and encourage you, who tell the truth and speak life into you. “There were plenty of moments when I could not picture where my life is today: advocating for housing, serving on boards, and teaching. Keep showing up.”
Three graduates — Brennan Connor, Johana Rodriguez and Jay Thompson — wore purple cords, signifying academic excellence while Connor, Rodriguez and Tyrone Manifold each wore red and white cords to signify four years at NLIS as well as excellence in science and biomedical studies.