Divergent Paths Led Two Friends To Graduation

By MARILYN BROWN The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 22, 2007

TAMPA - The two young men greeted each other warmly and embraced before heading to their separate places Thursday among the 505 graduates of East Bay High School.

One was valedictorian and the son of a doctor from Apollo Beach, the other a former gang member from Wimauma, earning the first high school diploma in his family.

But both mothers cried tears of joy, both fathers displayed enormous pride and both sons walked through the Expo Hall at the Tampa Fairgrounds with the confidence of great accomplishment.

Vincent Labarbera climbed to the stage to sit beside the dignitaries and deliver the valedictorian's speech on the value of wisdom versus knowledge. He earned his way to first place with years of hard work and an impressive list of honors topping all four of his older brothers who graduated from the same high school.

Jose Lerma Jr., eldest of four children in a migrant family, made his way to the long line that created a blanket of red caps and gowns facing the podium. This was the first high school graduation Jose's mother, Laura, had ever attended. When her son failed every subject in ninth grade, she thought her dream of the family's first diploma was lost.

"I was going to be a dropout," Jose Lerma said. "I got into a gang. It got me money, things I didn't get as I went through high school. I didn't care."

When he was younger, the family followed the crops, and Jose learned English by watching cartoons. "We struggled," he said. "We traveled a lot, slept outside of our car."

In his junior year, "I looked at my life; I could see how it was going down. My mother was hurting. It broke my heart."

Getting a regular high school diploma meant night school, day school, summer school and classes after school, Lerma said. It took four tries to pass the state tests required for graduation, said Lucinda Thompson, his reading teacher. "He had a potential, but you never knew with his environment, whether his environment would outweigh his potential."

Vincent Labarbera said he knew.

The teens shared a love of soccer, playing together on a club team when they were 15. Both played defense for the Aztecs.

"He was a stand-up guy," Labarbera said with no hesitation. "I knew he was a good guy from the start. He was dependable. He was always there."

On Thursday, families of both boys were there to see their sons graduate from high school. Labarbera's parents, Maria and Joseph, and three of his four brothers, Joey, Danny and John, were perched midway up the stands on one side of the expo hall. The fourth, Peter, is a captain and pilot in the Air Force.

On the other side of the hall were Lerma's parents. His mother, Laura, sat with his grandmother, Margarita Loyde, who couldn't climb steps, on the ground floor, and his father, Jose Sr., now a plumber, took sisters Jessica and Leslie and son Alexis to the second tier.

"It's unbelievable," Laura Lerma said. "It's the first time ever in my family. I don't know what to do."

Now Labarbera is headed to Florida State University to study medicine and Lerma to an institute in Daytona Beach to learn how to install audio systems in cars.

Reporter Marilyn Brown can be reached at (813) 259-8069 or mbrown@tampatrib.com.

HILLSBOROUGH GRADUATIONS

Six Hillsborough County public high schools graduated students Monday. Graduations continue through Thursday.

Jefferson

Valedictorians: Michael G. Mormino, magnet; Flor E. Alvidrez, traditional

Salutatorians: Jarmela Iris M. Lime, magnet; Alexis Nicole Morgado, traditional

Number of graduates: 393

Fun fact: This year's seniors were offered $4,379,127 in athletic scholarship money and $1,354,794 in academic scholarship money.

Middleton

Valedictorians: Jasmine Browne and Eric Shelleman, magnet; Ralphy Adelson, traditional

Salutatorian: Shayla Trigg, traditional

Number of graduates: 372

Fun fact: Valedictorian Eric Shelleman restored an old Porsche, sold it for $4,640 and donated the proceeds to Easter Seals.

East Bay

Valedictorian: Vincent LaBarbera

Salutatorian: Lacy May West

Number of graduates: 505

Fun fact: This was the largest graduating class in school history and featured four sets of twins.

Wharton High

Valedictorian: Shannon Eversoll

Salutatorian: Lauren Galbraith

Number of graduates: 544

Fun fact: Senior Teona Rodgers won the state championship in the 100-meter hurdles and 200-meter dash, and the hockey club, led by 11 seniors, won a second consecutive district championship.

Newsome

Valedictorian: Ryan Allen Baker

Salutatorian: Jessica Ann Neal

Number of graduates: 413

Fun fact: This was the first graduating class that attended the school for all four years.

Freedom High

Valedictorian: Michael Montuno

Salutatorian: Jarad Greene

Number of graduates: 411

Fun fact: Seniors earned more than $8 million in scholarship money.