On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 49 Berkeley High School seniors in the Academy of Medicine and Public Service (AMPS) graduated in the Oxford Elementary auditorium. As these graduates took the stage in front of family and friends, they gave their final remarks, ending their chapter here at BHS.
The ceremony began with each graduate handing yellow and red roses to the person who motivated and supported them the most throughout high school. Every AMPS graduate took a moment to thank and appreciate those whose love and support helped to create lasting memories at BHS.
Vice Principal Tonia Coleman shared the ceremony’s opening words, reflecting on the growth and persistence that each and every graduate showed her. “The power you hold is already within you. The power to imagine, to act wholly with integrity, and shape the world for the better … Never forget you are AMPS graduates, and that means you are ready,” Coleman said.
Following Coleman’s opening remarks, Rebecca Seid and Muhammad Ahmad Shahid shared their story and experience as AMPS students, reflecting on the knowledge that they gained. Seid opened the student orations with her journey in AMPS as a woman in STEM. “AMPS gave me courage to be a woman in STEM, and it has taught me I have a place in this field,” Seid said.
Matt Bremer, an AMPS math teacher, celebrated his forty first and final year as a teacher at BHS. “It’s so bittersweet, because it’s been such a lovely experience, and all the students are so great, so giving, and we have such a great relationship. I’ll miss having that every day,” Bremer said.
AMPS also shared the experiences of students who participated in the various internships the small school provides.
AMPS teacher Tasha Jackson gave the closing commencement speech, urging students to love the world enough to change it.