Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good morning, Class 26-01! It is an honor to join you and your families here at Queens Borough Hall as we celebrate your graduation. First and foremost: congratulations. Today, you become New York City Probation Officers. Let's hear it for the class!
I want to start by thanking Commissioner Sharun Goodwin for her leadership. I would also like to thank Queens Borough President Donovan Richards for hosting us today, as well as Council Member Brooks-Powers and Sheriff Raymond for their service to our city. I am also pleased to be joined today by my First Deputy Mayor, Dean Fuleihan. I would like to recognize the United Probation Officers Association and President Dalvanie Powell.
I also want to take a moment to acknowledge the Department of Probation staff who have spent the last 14 weeks preparing this next class of officers. Your guidance and expertise have delivered our graduates to this day. And most importantly, I want to thank the many family members here this morning - the parents, grandparents, spouses, kids, aunts, uncles, and so many more who supported our graduating officers through their training.
Now, to the graduates standing before us, this morning is a testament to your dedication, commitment to public service, and belief in your fellow New Yorkers. Our city will be stronger and safer for your work. There are 35 of you graduating today, the largest class of our administration yet. You hail from each of the five boroughs and speak the languages of our city. For seven of you, this role is a continuation of a career in service to New York.
Many of you will proudly serve the communities you call home. And each of you is taking the oath of office for different reasons, but guided by the same love of this city. Bryan Rivera of Queens - a veteran and a son of immigrants - is becoming a probation officer because he wants to see more people like him represented in public service. Manny Carvajal of the Bronx wanted to take the skills he had developed as a corrections officer and bring them directly to his community. And Lawrence Burwell of Brooklyn joined up to become a force for good in the lives of others-just like the people who believed in him and gave him a second chance after he was incarcerated on Rikers Island as a young man.
Each of you - wherever you come from, whatever your story may be - have answered the call to serve. You may not have known what to expect on that first day of orientation nearly four months ago. But you came ready to learn and willing to challenge yourself. Now, you have the tools you need to serve your fellow New Yorkers with integrity, accountability and compassion.
Probation officers are often the bridge for New Yorkers between the criminal legal system and a new chapter of opportunity. You help people navigate some of the most critical moments in their lives, guiding them towards a better future. I have no doubt that this group of graduating officers is ready to meet that task.
I understand your class motto is "Firm in Duty, Fair in Judgement, Strong in Service." But I have also heard that you have an unofficial motto - one that reflects the challenges of the work you are about to undertake: "It's real out there."
It certainly is.
There will be hard days, tough cases, moments where you feel disappointed and deflated, and more lessons to be learned on the job. But you did not choose to serve because you thought it would be easy. You chose it because you believe in supporting your fellow New Yorkers when they need it most. You chose it because you believe that every single person in our city deserves the chance to build a life they are proud of.
And as you step into that work, you will not be alone. You have the support and solidarity of your fellow graduates who are walking this path alongside you. You have a leader in Commissioner Goodwin who is charting a bright future for this department. And you have a City Hall that is standing proudly behind you.
Thank you for all that you have done so far and all that you will continue to do. On behalf of all New Yorkers, congratulations.
