'Never give up on your dreams,' judge appointed by Obama tells Chaney's 43 grads

YOUNGSTOWN

Ta’Kora Nall plans to begin her studies toward a criminal justice degree this fall at Youngstown State University.

Dwaylynn Wiley is heading to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh to study game art and design.

They are two of the 43 members of the Chaney Campus High School Class of 2014 who received their diplomas Friday in a ceremony at the school.

Class valedictorian Janay Robinson credited her mother with helping her with her studies and providing encouragement.

“I have the utmost respect for her and I want to be a strong, independent woman like her,” she said,

Judge Benita Pearson of U.S. District Court in Youngstown, the keynote speaker, urged the graduates to give back and to believe in their dreams.

Pearson grew up in Cleveland, one of six children of a single mother.

In her last year of high school, Pearson found herself at a bus stop without bus fare, trying to figure out a way to get home. She swallowed her pride and asked two women who approached for the 18-cent fare, promising to pay them back.

They obliged and she worked to pay it back by helping others.

“Each one of us who achieves some level of success has a responsibility to reach back,” Judge Pearson said.

Years later, after earning a law degree, she became interested in becoming a judge. When the seat in Youngstown opened up, she told some colleagues she was considering applying. They told her she wouldn’t get the appointment.

President Barack Obama nominated her to the bench in 2009, and she was confirmed in 2010.

“Never give up on your dreams and dream big ... even if you’re the only one who believes you can make it,” she said.