TOLEDO, Ohio — St. John's Jesuit High School held its yearly 20/20 Scholars Banquet Wednesday where the school celebrates the program's participants.
But this year, attendees also celebrated Mary Barabino, the program director who's retiring.
"The program's pushed me to be a better me. Academically, socially, it honestly helped me with public speaking," said Temon Fisher, a senior in the program.
While his family could foot some of the bills to attend the school, being in the program led by Barabino filled the gap.
Fisher says Barabino was a helping hand before he even walked in the doors of the high school.
"Before I was in the program, she began adding money to my lunch card every week," Fisher said. "I didn't know where it was coming from at first, then when I found out it was her, I said 'thank you.' She said, 'if you can help somebody, you should help them.'"
Barabino's helping hand reached many more students than just Fisher, though, as members of the program shared similar stories at this year's banquet, remembering all the kindness she spread as she hangs up her 20-year-old hat as program director.
"It felt really good, and it was in a lot of different ways overwhelming," Barabino said of the banquet.
In those two decades, she helped more than 300 students who might not have had the chance to attend the school without the program.
"Diversity means an awful lot to me," Barabino said. "We blend. We work together."
As for Fisher, he plans to become a lawyer and he thanks Barabino for the skills she gave him.
"She pours so much into us as students that by the time it's time to graduate, the tools that she's given us, we'll be able to take with us," Fisher said.
Although Barabino is leaving this year, the program will continue funding student's education. You can find more information on the program here.