It's graduation season, and many of our ATYP alumni are headed off to college. This is an emotional time of year for those of us who work with these wonderful students, who are so full of potential and promise, as we watch them venture out into the world. We know just what they're capable of, but not only do we want them to be successful students, we also want them to be happy adults. We want them to attain their academic goals, but we also want them to attain maturity, wisdom, compassion, and strength of character.

In 2008, J.K. Rowling said in her commencement address at Harvard University:

"The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive. You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity. Such knowledge is a true gift, for all that it is painfully won, and it has been worth more than any qualification I ever earned."

We know that our graduates will face setbacks, but hopefully the lessons they learned here at ATYP make them more prepared to overcome them. We hope that they learned to work hard, to have faith in themselves and their abilities, to see the value in learning something new every day, and to fight for what they need and deserve - not just in education, but in life. We wish them all great luck on this journey.