Indianapolis area high school students in recovery from substance use disorder graduate from Indiana’s only recovery high school during Hope Academy’s 18th Commencement

INDIANAPOLIS – On Saturday, May 18, 2024, Hope Academy, Indiana’s only recovery high school, celebrated its 18th Commencement at the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center on the campus of the University of Indianapolis. During the ceremony, three graduates were honored for their academic and recovery achievements.

Graduates of the Hope Academy Class of 2024 included: Hannah Fox (Indianapolis, IN), De’Shaune Howard (St. Louis, Missouri), Jacob “PJ” St. James (Fishers, IN). Hannah will attend Aveda Fredric’s Institute to study cosmetology, De’Shaune will attend Ivy Tech to study business, and PJ will attend Ball State University to study meteorology.

Guest speakers at commencement included Caitlin Rhodes, serving as the alumni speaker, Will Forman, serving as the ceremony’s voice of recovery, and Dr. Jim Meacham, serving as the keynote speaker.

During his speech, Dr. Meacham spoke about the “Principle of the Path,” sharing, “You have your whole life ahead of you. Some days, your destination changes and you move in a different direction. The concept of one day at a time is very valuable. It’s waking up in the morning and trying to be the best version of yourself. Don’t get distracted, stay on the path that will lead you to your ultimate destination.”

The Hope Academy 2024 Class Valedictorian was Hannah Fox. During her speech, Hannah talked about her experience at Hope Academy and how it shaped her, saying, “Throughout these couple of years [at Hope Academy], I loved, laughed, and grew. I learned what it means to live a life of recovery and enjoy it. It wasn’t always rainbows and butterflies, but through the ups there was laughter, and through the downs there was love, and through the outcome there was growth.”

Hannah Fox received the Dr. Sig Zielke Scholarship for $500, Jacob (PJ) St. James received Simon Youth Foundation Scholarships valued at $23,000, and De’Shaune Howard received a Simon Youth Foundation Scholarship valued at $5,000 as well as The Jim Barnes Scholarship for $1,000. Each graduate shared remarks from the podium and personally thanked someone who helped them get to graduation day.