New Jersey Youth Challenge Academy graduation ceremony for Class 50 was held at the War Memorial in Trenton, N.J., Dec. 9, 2019. The guest speakers were AbdulSaleem Hasan, Assistant Commissioner of Field Services for the New Jersey Department of Education, and Brig. Gen. Patrick M. Kennedy, Assistant Adjutant General-Air, New Jersey National Guard, and Commander, New Jersey Air National Guard. The New Jersey Youth Challenge Academy is an alternative education program designed to reclaim the lives of at-risk 16 to 18 year old youths and produce graduates with the values, skills, education, and self-discipline necessary to succeed as adults. The National Guard Youth Challenge Program was established by congress in 1993. New Jersey’s first Challenge class began in September 1994. (New Jersey National Guard photo by Mark C. Olsen). Original public domain image from Flickr