Eighteen young men graduated from YSC Academy high school on Friday, including Philadelphia Union midfielder Anthony Fontana and Jeremy Rafanello, who was recently called up to the United States U-19 national team for a tournament in Slovakia. Philadelphia Union’s technical staff, including head coach Jim Curtin and Sporting Director Earnie Stewart were in attendance.
An overarching theme of the graduation, echoed by Head of School Dr. Nooha Ahmed-Lee in her opening address and many of the graduates themselves, was that YSC Academy strives to create a family environment. Many graduates spoke of difficulties leaving home to live with classmates, and how tears and anxiety gave way to a sense of belonging and sense of personal growth.
After Dr. Ahmed-Lee and YSC Academy Founder Richie Graham -- a Philadelphia Union minority owner -- spoke, each graduate made a short speech describing their experiences in YSC’s unique mix of soccer and academe, and how it pushed them to become a self-directed learner. Sixteen graduates will enter college in the fall, with destinations ranging from Penn State and University of Pennsylvania to Michigan State and Elon University. Fontana will forgo college to continue his professional career with the Union, though he will take online classes from Southern New Hampshire University, and Darius Lewis will explore a soccer career in Europe. Lewis spoke candidly of his decision to pursue his dream of playing at a European club, and of the support he had received from his faith, his family, and the YSC community.
As the graduates left the stage to begin the next phase of their lives, they walked by Stewart, who will soon take over as the General Manager of United States men’s soccer. They surely hope to continue their development over the next few years so he will feel the need to come watch them again soon, this time on the soccer field.
YSC Academy Class of 2018 and their next destination in life
Daniel Bloyou (Old Dominion University)
Iverson Brisma (North Carolina State University)
Carter Emack (Southern Methodist University)
Kevin Escobar (University of Delaware)
Anthony Fontana (Philadelphia Union First Team)
Maxwell Graham (Elon University)
Brendan Hanrahan (University of Pennsylvania)
Seth Kuhn (Duke University)
Darius Lewis (pursuing professional soccer opportunities)
Liam O’Brien (Belmont University)
Oluwaola-ayo Ogunwale (Michigan State University)
Raimondo Partito (Providence College)
Ramzi Qawasmy (Providence College)
Jeremy Rafanello (Pennsylvania State University)
Issa Rayyan (Duke University)
Nykolas Sessock (University of Pittsburgh)
Andrew Taber (Liberty University)
Jalen Weatherspoon (Elon University)
