FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com JUly 2, 2015 • THE COURIER SUN 3 Former governor inspires Merrick Academy graduates in Springfield Gardens BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected] @AngelaMatua After lining up to receive their diplomas, Merrick Academy graduates in Springfield Gardens received some advice from the ceremony’s commencement speaker, former Governor David A. Paterson. Paterson, who was the first African-American and legally blind governor of New York, spoke about the hardships he faced in school and throughout his life. His parents moved to Hempstead when Paterson was a child to avoid New York City public schools, where he would have been placed in special education classes because of his impairment. After graduating from high school a year early, Paterson attended Columbia University. It was during college where he faced one of his biggest challenges, he said. “Something happened to me in my second year of my college life that almost ended any chance of me ever having any career,” Paterson said. During the summer of his sophomore year, he attended a barbecue and was asked by the host to come up with a list of 15 people who could work at a catering service, bagging lunches for children going to day camp. Paterson included his name on the list but was not hired because of his impairment. “He did not think that I could put an apple and a sandwich in a lunchbox and close it,” Paterson said. His underage brother was also hired, which upset Paterson even further. The former governor said that when he went back to school he was too upset to study and was in danger of failing out of school. Paterson went back to Hempstead to speak to an old teacher and she encouraged him to take a break from school and find a job to boost his confidence. He went back to school a year later and graduated with a degree in history. In an interview with The Courier, Paterson said he spoke about his struggles to make his message relatable to all students. “Hopefully, they won’t think of me in the best of times because they don’t need me in the best of times. They need my words when things are not going well,” he said. Former Governor David Paterson was the commencement speaker at Merrick Academy in Springfield Gardens. Graduate Enola Fasola, who wants to be a video game designer when he grows up, said he learned about perseverance during Paterson’s speech. “I learned that if something happens to you, you can always rise back up,” Fasola said. Principal Dr. Karen Valbrun said seeing her students graduate was a proud moment for her, and that she is excited to find out what they accomplish in the future. “My message to them is no matter what disability, no matter what challenge stands in front of you, if you want to accomplish something, THE COURIER/Photo by Angela Matua nothing should stand in your way,” Valbrun said. “To hold such a high position, in spite of what the media may say about black students especially in terms of being disadvantaged or fatherless homes or whatever other negative perceptions that may lie out there, they can still achieve.” New gas lines coming to Lefferts Boulevard BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected]/@AngelaMatua National Grid’s efforts to modernize its gas system in Queens will affect drivers and residents on Lefferts Boulevard in the weeks ahead. National Grid and its contractor, Network Infrastructure, have now begun work to install a new gas main along 84th Avenue between 115th Street and Lefferts Boulevard. Due to this construction, 84th Avenue between 115th and 116th streets in Kew Gardens and Richmond Hill will be closed to through traffic and on-street parking will be unavailable from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. It is part of the Queens Gas Reliability Project, a $100 million effort by National Grid scheduled to be completed in spring 2016. The construction will take between five and six weeks to complete. “We are working closely with the local community to minimize the disruption and we thank them for their patience and cooperation during this complex construction project,” said Mike Ruiz, director of community and customer management at National Grid. “The Queens Gas Reliability Project is important to strengthening the network for our Queens customers and it’s a good example of our Connect 21 vision to modernize our energy delivery system and to help customers take more control of their energy use.” National Grid will construct 6 miles of gas mains in central and south Queens as part of their Queens Gas Reliability Project. New gas mains have already been installed in South Ozone Park, Richmond Hill and Kew Gardens. National Grid will install more than 6 miles of gas mains through central and south Queens and once the installation is complete, crews will work in neighborhoods along the route, spanning from Rockaway Boulevard to Long Island Expressway, File photo to upgrade the natural gas service in the local communities. The Queens Gas Reliability Project is part of National Grid’s $1.3 billion investment focused on replacing aging gas mains; installing new mains and other facilities to accommodate customers requesting natural gas service; and ensuring that natural gas supplies can meet increasing customer demand.
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