Audrey's Mommy Corner: Edward Jordan, Millennium High School Class of 2020

“Do not fear, for I am with you.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Holy Angels School has definitely helped solidify the foundation that we’ve set for Edward and Alison. Once we completely transitioned to Tracy, we were blessed with another amazing partner in education, Millennium High School, that helped set them on the right course for young adulthood.

Edward’s high school life was tumultuous. He started his freshman year at El Camino High School in South San Francisco, knowing that in ten months, he would have to say goodbye to the new friends he was making. As we were about to begin a new chapter of our family life in Tracy, Edison was diagnosed with Stage II nasopharyngeal cancer. With his dad in treatment, Edward started his sophomore year at Millennium. By the end of the first semester of his junior year, the high school moved back to their campus that had been in renovation since he started attending the school.

His senior year looked promising for the first three quarters though. He was featured on the “Alumni Spotlight” of the Holy Angels Newsletter, and it truly was a full-circle moment:

Holy Angels School Alumnus (Class of 2016) Edward Balingit is currently a senior at Millennium High School (Tracy, CA), where he is playing for the Boys Basketball Varsity. He recently completed his required community service hours as a P.E. Teacher’s Assistant, and will begin his internship at In-Shape Health Club in the Spring. He is completing his first semester of the College Early Start Scholarship Program, a partnership between Millennium High School and Delta College. He is planning to transfer to UC Davis to major in Nutrition Science. Outside of school, he is a member of the St. Bernard’s Life Teen Ministry and works part-time as a Concessionist at Cinemark Movies. He and his family are eternally grateful to Holy Angels School for helping “develop the whole child: spiritual, intellectual, social, psychological, and physical” in Edward. Once an Angel, Always an Angel - thank you, Holy Angels School!

And then, the pandemic hit!

As I posted on social media a couple of weeks before his graduation:

Prom, cancelled…

Senior Breakfast, cancelled…

Grad Night @ Disneyland, cancelled…

DREAMS… NOT CANCELLED!

We all had to keep going for our dreams. Yes, it was difficult to keep hope alive during quarantine. But if I’d learned anything during Edison’s cancer journey, it was to take it one day at a time: celebrate what you DO have in the present moment!

So while nobody could contest that Edward’s high school life was indeed tumultuous, we had to keep our eyes on what we were grateful for:

The JV and Varsity Basketball Teams that Edward had been a part of since his sophomore year - such amazing young men! I couldn’t have asked for a better band of brothers for Edward during such a defining era in his life;
His teachers, coaches, counselors, and mentors, who helped him navigate his high school opportunities, and inspired him to reach his goals of obtaining: 1) his driver’s license, and 2) his first part-time job before he started his senior year;
And the great programs and courses at Millennium, including Community Service Hours, Personal Finance, Career Ed, College Early Start, and the Internship Program.

Edward’s drive-thru high school graduation happened a little over a year ago, but I still remember the sense of pride and of bittersweet joy for him, who was part of “the undefeated, record-setting, history-making Class of 2020.”