Despite the relentless and forbidding issues that plague Haiti right now, the first day of the 2021-2022 school year at GES was filled with joy—especially for a 10th grader named Samuelita.

It has now been 17 days since a powerful earthquake rocked Haiti on the morning of Saturday, August 14.

On July 23, Grace Emmanuel School held its 5th commencement. Despite the issues that have plagued Haiti over the last few years—pèyi lok, insecurity, COVID-19, and most recently the assassination of the president—the 21 students who comprise the Class of 2021 never gave up on their dreams.