NYC non-profit HANAC held their GED graduation ceremony on Friday, June 10, at George Douris Tower in Astoria for their high school equivalency program, which celebrated all graduates since the start of the pandemic. Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani was in attendance, and joined the program’s teachers, HANAC’s co-founder Mrs. Evangeline Douris, and all the friends and family of the grads in cheering for their accomplishments.
HANAC has been providing affordable housing, social programming, and independent living for seniors for 50 years. In the wake of the challenging past few years, this milestone marks a new world of possibilities for the graduates. HANAC is embracing the opportunity to celebrate this life-changing achievement with these students and their families.
The HANAC High School Equivalency (HSE) Program is offered in English at the George Douris Tower in Astoria to any individual who is pursuing a New York State High School Equivalency Diploma. Classes are free of charge and open to anyone 18 years of age or older. Registration for HSE classes is ongoing at George Douris Tower.
The speakers included Evangeline Douris, co-founder of HANAC; Stacy Bliagos, Executive Director of HANAC; Lisandra Garcia, GED Graduate and HANAC employee; Jeremiah Vitale, GED Graduate; Christine Suero, organizer for the Lighting Ceremony; Marco Castillo, Former HANAC GED teacher; Dora Korewa, Former HANAC GED teacher; Frank Trubiano, Current GED teacher; and Evthoxia Panos, Program Director.