Keynote speaker Ariana Welch urges Farmington students to 'choose wisely' at Rise and Thrive awards

Ariana Welch, a Farmington High School alumna and housing coordinator at Bridging Communities Incorporated, told students at the Farmington Public School District’s Rise and Thrive recognition ceremony that "what you've done in the past does not define you," and urged them to make thoughtful choices moving forward.

The ceremony, opened by Dr. Coffin, included remarks from Farmington Director of Public Safety Bob Ho Hannison, who congratulated the honorees and urged persistence, delivering the memorable admonition, "Choose wisely." After the keynote, district leaders presented awards to multiple students across elementary, middle and high schools and directed attendees to a booklet on each table with the full list of recipients and nominators.

Welch recounted a personal trajectory from difficulty in high school to graduating from Farmington Central High School and finding support that helped her turn academics and life around. She described her current work at Bridging Communities Incorporated, where she runs the Detroit Home Repair Fund and said she has helped repair about 60 homes in Detroit, totaling about $1.5 million in repairs. She also said she is studying business at Mcome Community College and recently became a homeowner at 25, using her story to tell students that resilience and consistent effort can change outcomes.

In his remarks, Bob Ho Hannison emphasized that students have earned their recognition through hard work and that obstacles are part of life, calling on honorees to keep striving and to avoid taking the easy path when choices are difficult. Dr. Coffin also recognized North Farmington High School musicians for top scores at the MSBA state festival and thanked community partners, including the Gourmet Express and the Farmington Coordinating Council, which provided gift bags for attendees.

The program proceeded with the presentation of awards. Examples of recipients announced by the district included Sydney Anta (12th grade, Farmington High School; nominator: Principal Chris Musner), Malik Armstrong (8th grade, Power Middle School; nominator: Erica Ballard), and Sarah Casper (12th grade, North Farmington High School; nominator: Wendy Marshek). The district announced many additional honorees from Farmington Central High School, North Farmington High School, Warner Middle School, East Middle School, Power Middle School, Farmington Online and the Farmington STEAM Academy; attendees were referred to the booklet for the complete list.

The program closed with thanks to parents and guests and a reminder for students to pick up gift bags from the Farmington Coordinating Council before leaving.