Hubbard graduates conquer challenges

May 26, 2012 at 12:03a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

A boisterous round of applause filled Stambaugh Auditorium when Mark V. Morocco propelled himself in his wheelchair across the stage and was handed his high-school diploma.

That short but determined movement parallels his attitude toward dealing with cerebral palsy.

“I’m not letting it slow me down,” Morocco said after having received his diploma during Hubbard High School Class of 2012’s commencement Friday evening. “I don’t let anything stop me.”

Morocco certainly isn’t allowing the disease he was born with to short-circuit his plans, which include attending Trumbull County Career & Technical Center in Warren this fall to study marketing and video-game design. For now, though, spending time and playing video games with friends are part of his agenda, he said.

Morocco, who also performs office work for Turning Gears, a Youngstown-based employment agency, is no stranger to accolades. During a recent scholarship-awards ceremony, the Ohio Athletic Association handed Morocco an award for courage, said his mother, Becky Morocco.

“I’m extremely proud of him,” she said, adding that she greatly appreciates how accepting and inclusive fellow students have been toward her son.

Acceptance also means a lot to Adrianna M. Dunbar, who has spent more than a year balancing schoolwork, a social life and motherhood.

“I’m extremely happy. I couldn’t have [graduated] without my family and my little munchkin,” Dunbar said, referring to her 18-month-old daughter, Liliana.

Dunbar said she will miss teachers and staff who provided encouragement, including math teacher Damon Haught, who helped her keep up with her studies. Dunbar also thanked her guidance counselor, Toni Haidaris, for giving valuable advice and helping her cope with difficult times.

Making time for friends and raising Liliana are manageable for Dunbar, who plans to enroll in August at Butler County Community College’s Hermitage, Pa., campus to study radiology. Down the road, four more years of college may await Dunbar in her quest to be an ultrasound technician, she said.

Meanwhile, getting a job and a car are priorities for the summer, Dunbar continued.

Giving the commencement address were graduates Milan E. Campbell IV, salutatorian, and Connor R. Spiech, valedictorian.

Both encouraged fellow grads to cherish those closest to them and realize that despite inevitable challenges, others will help them.

Friday was a special day for Campbell also because it marked his parents’ 21st wedding anniversary, he said.

Principal Ron Garrett and Superintendent Richard Buchenic made additional remarks.