To kick off Black History Month, Hoban had their annual One Hope One Dream award presentation. The ceremony was touching as both recipients were present, an opportunity that The Castle has missed out on in the last few years. It also featured some talented student speakers, and a song by Hoban’s choir to wrap it all up.

The assembly began with a prayer of inclusivity by Brother Dennis Bednarz. He reminded the crowd that Jesus helped those without hope, just like the honorees do every day. He asked his audience to remember all those “who made you smile, and those who may need one themselves”.

Principal T.K. Griffith took the podium next as he broke down what The One Hope One Dream award represents. It is a culmination of the Holy Cross phrase, Ave Crux Spes Unica, and the work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. which is given to two alumni each year.

Ave Crux Spes Unica, or Hail the Cross our Only Hope, is the motto that all Hoban students, staff, and faculty live by daily. It is at the base of our Holy Cross roots. The award, created in 2003, combines this with the words of King who worked for years to bring equality to the segregated world he lived in. The One Hope One Dream award is inspired by that same mentality. It references his infamous “I Have A Dream” speech which lives on as one of the most moving addresses in history. 

It was this very speech that inspired our student speakers, Gabriella Falconer and Ayden Boykin. 

Falconer began with a direct reference to King’s famous speech as she asked the crowd, “If we all had a dream, what would it be?” She pointed out that we all have our own dreams, just like King did. He envisioned that one day people would not be judged by factors that were beyond their control. “Hate can not drive out hate, only love can do that,” Falconer quoted from King. These words represent the honorees that sat on that stage next to her. 

Boykin started off with the powerful phrase, “In our community, we are forced to fear.”  He drew a focus towards mental health, pointing out that even someone as courageous as King struggled. He said that life moves quickly, and there is no use in waiting to chase after what we want, and closed with, “Go after your dreams today, because there is such a thing as being too late.”

Following the ceremony, Boykin commented on why he chose to speak saying, “Being a voice around your peers is scary, but it shows the difference between a leader and someone who takes a backseat. I wanted to be a leader.”

The first recipient was Bronlynn Thurman ‘08. She was introduced by Griffith who spoke briefly about who she is and what she did to receive the award. She took much of her inspiration from Hoban art teacher Micah Kraus and held onto her creativity throughout all of her ventures. She became a program officer at the G.A.R. foundation where she focuses on the community, arts, and education. 

She manages Essential Experiences, an educational program for kids in Akron to gain unique and vital experiences in addition to their education. Thurman also founded a book club based around discussing literature by authors of color. Thirdly, Thurman runs a program that helps black women to connect with nature in a safe and stress-free environment. 

To close her speech, Thurman gave three key pieces of advice. First, she encouraged everyone to stay true to themselves. She says that it is much more comfortable to wear your own skin than to portray the person others try to make you. Next, she said it is important to find your people. Those who support you while simultaneously challenging you are vital to success. Finally, life is fluid, and it is ok to not have everything figured out. Do not be afraid to take advantage of the unexpected opportunities that you are presented with.

The second honoree, Jason Crislip ‘94, prioritized creativity, similar to Thurman, and was even a cartoonist for The Visor. Crislip has dedicated his life’s work to refugee resettlement after inspiration from his Ghanaian professor at the University of Akron. This class led him to apply for the United States Peace Corps which allowed him to live and work in Ghana for six years helping refugees. He later moved to Bangkok, Thailand where he continued his work before bringing his experiences back to the U.S. in 2015. He has continued to help resettle refugees and human trafficking victims.

Crislip now works with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) which allows him to lead resettlement efforts on military bases all around the country. He brought with him some images of the work he has done in recent years. He showed a family that was resettled from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The father, Robert, now works to resettle refugees with the IRC himself. Another story he shared was that of Jacklyn who fled from the Democratic Republic of Congo to South Africa. She has happily settled in Idaho and now works as an interpreter speaking five languages. 

The Hoban Choir blessed the Knights with a performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine” featuring a solo by Jordan Pritchard-Sewell. It was a beautiful rendition that truly captured the ceremony as a whole. 

The One Hope One Dream award recipients are both incredible role models. They live helping those around them, giving hope to the hopeless, and voices to the voiceless. Congratulations to Bronlynn Thurman and Jason Crislip on their extremely well deserved honor.

Shortened version – in case! 

To kick off Black History Month, Hoban held its annual One Hope One Dream award presentation. The ceremony was poignant, with both recipients in attendance—an opportunity that The Castle had missed out on in the last few years. It also featured talented student speakers and a performance by Hoban’s choir to conclude the event.

The assembly commenced with a prayer of inclusivity by Brother Dennis Bednarz, who reminded the crowd that Jesus helped those without hope, much like the honorees do daily. He asked the audience to remember all those “who made you smile and those who may need one themselves.”

Principal T.K. Griffith took the podium next, breaking down what The One Hope One Dream award represents. It is a culmination of the Holy Cross phrase, Ave Crux Spes Unica, and the work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., presented annually to two alumni.

Ave Crux Spes Unica, or “Hail the Cross our Only Hope,” is the motto guiding Hoban students, staff, and faculty daily and is rooted in their Holy Cross heritage. Created in 2003, the award combines this motto with the ideals of King, who dedicated his life to bringing equality to a segregated world. The One Hope One Dream award is inspired by that same mentality, referencing King’s infamous “I Have A Dream” speech—one of the most moving addresses in history.

It was this very speech that inspired student speakers Gabriella Falconer and Ayden Boykin.

Falconer began directly referencing King’s famous speech, asking the crowd, “If we all had a dream, what would it be?” She pointed out that we all have our own dreams, just like King did. Quoting King, she said, “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that,” emphasizing that these words represent the honorees on stage.

Boykin started off with the powerful phrase, “In our community, we are forced to fear.” He focused on mental health, pointing out that even someone as courageous as King struggled. He concludes, “Go after your dreams today because there is such a thing as being too late.”

Following the ceremony, Boykin commented on why he chose to speak, saying, “Being a voice around your peers is scary, but it shows the difference between a leader and someone who takes a backseat. I wanted to be a leader.”

The first recipient was Bronlynn Thurman ’08, introduced by Griffith, who briefly spoke about her achievements. Thurman drew inspiration from Hoban art teacher Micah Kraus, maintaining her creativity throughout her ventures. She became a program officer at the G.A.R. Foundation, focusing on community, arts, and education. Thurman manages Essential Experiences, an educational program for Akron kids, founded a book club discussing literature by authors of color, and runs a program helping black women connect with nature.

To conclude her speech, Thurman offered three key pieces of advice: stay true to yourself, find your people who support and challenge you, and embrace unexpected opportunities.

The second honoree, Jason Crislip ’94, prioritized creativity, similar to Thurman, even serving as a cartoonist for The Visor. Inspired by his Ghanaian professor at the University of Akron, Crislip dedicated his life to refugee resettlement. He served in the United States Peace Corps, lived and worked in Ghana for six years, and later worked in Bangkok, Thailand. Crislip now leads resettlement efforts on military bases nationwide with the International Rescue Committee (IRC).

The ceremony concluded with the Hoban Choir’s rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” encapsulating the event’s spirit. The recipients, Bronlynn Thurman and Jason Crislip, serve as exemplary role models, bringing hope and a voice to the voiceless. Congratulations to them on this well-deserved honor.