PARSIPPANY — At age 25, Anthony Justo could pass for a staff member at NewBridge Jobs Plus, but in fact he is a 2016 graduate of the alternate education program, a decade after his life plunged into drugs and crime.
“Going back to school at age 24 wasn’t easy, but everyone at NewBridge Jobs Plus made me feel welcome,’’ the Morris Township resident said. “They helped me earn my high school diploma and start a new chapter of my life.”
Justo was among 35 young adults to don a cap and gown Thursday night at the NewBridge Jobs Plus Class of 2016 graduation, held at the Wyndham Worldwide headquarters. More than 200 parents and friends cheered as graduates took to the podium and shared tales of overcoming hardships endured in high school before finding their niche at NewBridge Jobs Plus.
NewBridge Jobs Plus is the longest-running alternative education program in Morris County and has helped well over 1,000 young adults earn their high school diplomas and prepare for college, trade schools and careers since 1983. The program, located at the NewBridge Parsippany Center, is free to young adults living in Morris, Sussex and Warren counties, and transportation is provided to Morris County residents.
“I’d missed a lot of school because of sickness, and I wasn’t going to graduate with my class at Roxbury High School because I was really short of credits,” Meghan Graham said. A family friend recommended she enroll at NewBridge Jobs Plus. “I feel it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
Not only did Graham get help preparing for the state high school exam, NewBridge helped the 18-year-old sort through her college options and apply for financial aid. Graham has decided to pursue a career in social work, and will enroll at County College of Morris for the fall semester.
Alyce Haygood, 17, couldn’t get through her freshman year at Mount Olive High School. After her mother researched NewBridge Jobs Plus, Haygood enrolled in February.
“I used to feel like I was the only one who struggled in high school, but here I discovered I wasn’t alone. And the teachers helped me learn how to learn,’’ she said. As Haygood prepares to study massage therapy at Fortis Institute in Wayne, she has inspired her 21-year-old sister, Kaylen to attend NewBridge Jobs Plus to pursue her high school degree.
Justo, who earned his diploma in December, already has six college courses under his belt and a 3.2 grade point average. He is attending County College of Morris, pursuing a career in social work. This summer, he is training to become a peer recovery specialist to help people who have overdose on opioids.
Just a few years ago, all that seemed impossible. Justo suffered severe injuries when he was hit by a car 10 years ago. “After that, I felt like I could die at any minute,” so he did whatever he felt like doing, including reckless behavior. Justo drank and took drugs, including heroin, and dropped out of school. “Things started to unravel, and it wasn’t pretty.”
He was arrested several times for stealing and drug offenses. In 2014, he was sentenced to a year in the Morris County Jail and was admitted into drug court, a program, which “played a huge role in saving my life,” he said.
“We at NewBridge are so proud of how far these young men and women have come, and are confident their fortitude will propel them to successful, fulfilling lives,’’ NewBridge CEO Robert L. Parker said.
NewBridge Jobs Plus associate Jaquorah Marrow received the $1,000 Lakeland Bank Scholarship Award and Yesenia Alize Stocky received the $1,000 James Ryan Memorial Scholarship Award, given in honor of the NewBridge founder.
This year’s graduates hail from Parsippany, Boonton, Butler, Elizabeth, Jefferson, Kinnelon, Mendham, Montville, Morris Plains Morristown, Mount Olive, Randolph, Roxbury, Wayne, West Orange, and Wharton. Jay LaPaglia, the beloved former educational coordinator at NewBridge Jobs Plus, gave the keynote address. LaPaglia said students often arrive at NewBridge Jobs Plus with a lot of baggage, but undergo “incredible transformation, gaining confidence to move forward.”
NewBridge Jobs Plus receives funding from: the Workforce Investment Board of Morris/Sussex/Warren Counties; Affinity Federal Credit Union; John Bickford Foundation; Community Foundation of New Jersey; Lakeland Bank; Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Provident Bank Foundation; TD Bank Charitable Foundation; Charles Emil Thenen Foundation; United Way of Northern New Jersey; Wells Fargo; and Wyndham Worldwide.
