A celebration of student achievement was held on Friday, May 3 at The College of Saint Rose in Albany to honor two students who graduated from the BC College Transition Program:  Joey Furlong and Adam Fox.

Family, friends, teachers, and administrators were among the supporters present for this special ceremony honoring the two students. The College Transition Program prepares students to move on to college, to job training programs or directly into a job where they will continue to build independent living and working skills. 

At the graduation ceremony, Furlong and Fox each delivered an impressive speech about their experience on the college campus as well as their plans for the future. Adam Fox plans to enter the workforce and Joey Furlong will enroll in the Living Resources Program.

The College Transition Program — a partnership between the district and the college — has provided more than a dozen BC students with college and career readiness training over the last several years. The College Transition Program is led by BC teacher Jenn Mills with support from several aides.

Bethlehem’s assistant director of special education Sarah Flannery said the ceremony at St. Rose was bittersweet as the college is set to close next month. As part of the May 3 event, the BC Student Support Services team recognized St. Rose professor Dr. Terri Ward for her inclusive vision for students with disabilities to be included as members of a college community. 

“Our partnership with St. Rose has provided countless opportunities to our postgraduate students beyond our high school programming and our students have grown beyond what we could have imagined,” said Flannery.  “We could not be prouder of Joey, Adam, and all the students who have participated in this program.”

Flannery said the school district will be finalizing plans in the coming weeks to continue the College Transition Program with a new college partner next fall.