Graduation 2022: Bremerton's Hurt in rare company as valedictorian

Pretty soon, before his journey across the country to begin his college career at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Bremerton High School senior Kendrean Hurt will offer a temporary farewell to his best friend: a black-and-white dog named Kita.

Hurt isn't excited about being separated from his 3-year-old canine companion, who joined his family just a handful of months before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.

"I love my dog," Hurt said. "She's not going to know where I am."

When discussing the next stop on his academic journey, Hurt knows what people expect out of him based on his stellar high school performance. During Friday night's graduation ceremony, Hurt will join fellow senior Andrew Kehm as the two Class of 2022 valedictorians being celebrated at Bremerton Memorial Stadium.

Sporting a perfect 4.0 grade point average, Hurt is believed to be the first Black student since Marya Gingrey in 1986 to earn valedictorian status for the Knights.

While Hurt said it's important for other students of color to realize that reaching the academic pinnacle in high school is possible, he stressed that his past achievements don't guarantee future success. He plans to demonstrate the same hunger that he displayed at Bremerton during his time at Georgia Tech, where he plans to study business finance.

"I hate it when people say, 'Oh, you are going to do good things like you've always been doing,'" Hurt said. "I could literally go to college, and skip (classes) and be on the streets. Anything can happen. I can have all this motivation and lose it, while somebody can not have any motivation and gain it and succeed. I always want that chip on my shoulder."

Hurt admits he didn't always view college as a serious option. In eighth grade, he enrolled in Bremerton School District's Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program. Briana Faxon, AVID director at Bremerton High School, said the program is focused on first-generation students — those whose parents did not attend college — and nontraditional students "that you wouldn't normally see on a college campus."

With 125 high school students enrolled in the AVID program, Faxon estimates that 70% qualify for free-and-reduced lunch and would fit into the first-generation college category.

"We teach them study skills and we push them to take those Advanced Placement classes that they wouldn't necessarily take on their own," Faxon said. "Some kids just run with it, like Kendrean."

Hurt, whose father recently earned his bachelor of science degree online through the University of Phoenix, said his initial motivation for joining the AVID program had nothing to do with college.

"The reason I joined it was for the field trips," Hurt admitted. "It wasn't for bettering my future, college, all that. It was like, 'Oh, they go on field trips? I'm joining.'"

When Hurt reached 10th grade, he began to realize that his future could include college if he kept churning out high marks. There were some hurdles along the way, including remote learning during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and a couple challenging AP classes. Yet Hurt never shied away from charging after his goals with drive and tenacity.

"If you are willing to put the work in, at any point in your life really, then you can make it in whatever you are trying to do," Hurt said. "It's just motivation. Motivation is the main thing."

Involved in football and track and field early in his high school career, Hurt spent the current school year focused on finishing strong and serving as an AVID tutor, assisting freshmen in mathematics. Faxon said it gave Hurt an opportunity to take on a leadership role while working with students who are starting the same journey he embarked on a few years ago.

"They look up to him as this amazing role model," Faxon said. "They can say, 'He was in our shoes.' They can see him as being one of them."

It didn't surprise Faxon when Hurt earned the AVID program's most inspirational award during a recent ceremony. It's an honor voted on by students.

"He is well-deserving of this award because of his work ethic and for being unapologetically himself," one student wrote about Hurt during the voting process.

Another student remarked: "He is someone I admire as a student, as a person, and most importantly as a friend."

When decision-time came for college, Hurt had no shortage of major universities to choose from, including Washington, Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Arkansas, West Virginia, Georgia and Georgia Tech. In the end, Georgia Tech came through with a scholarship offer that Hurt couldn't turn down.

"It's a new experience. That's exciting," Hurt said. "I know what I have to do when I get there. I'm not going to be in bliss of a new spot and going out and stuff. I still have a job to do."

Chandra Hurt, Kendrean's mother, said she doesn't mind that her son chose Georgia Tech over Washington, his No. 2 option.

"I actually wanted him to get out and see the world a little bit," Chandra Hurt said. "Sometimes as a minority, you have no way of knowing the grass is greener on the other side. For him to come up with this goal and to achieve it, to maintain a perfect grade point average. ... he's done really well. It is something to be proud of."

Knowing that Kendrean Hurt isn't one to seek out the spotlight, Faxon is nonetheless thrilled that one of her four-year students will take the stage Friday evening as co-valedictorian, accept his diploma and begin to prepare for his next chapter as one of B-Town's brightest stars.

"I feel like it's a huge deal," Faxon said. "It should be celebrated."

CLASS OF 2022 GRADUATIONS

Bainbridge Island School District

Ceremony: Bainbridge High School stadium, Saturday, 4 p.m.

Valedictorians: Elise Bourmatnov, Madeline Brown, Keon Deng, Nicholas Fountain, Emily Hung, Lucy King, Elana Memke, Eden Michael, Eileen Miller, Everett Moore, Ellen Owen, Benjamin Reeb, Caleb Saks, Lila Schroer, Gillian Shields, Natasha Stragier, Jack Tinker, Camille Townsend

Bremerton School District 

Ceremony: Bremerton High School stadium, Friday, 7 p.m.

Valedictorians: Kendrean Hurt, Andrew Kehm

Central Kitsap School District

Ceremonies: Barker Creek Klahowya Community School, June 8, Klahowya Secondary School stadium, Thursday, 6 p.m.; Olympic High School stadium, Friday, 7 p.m.; Central Kitsap High School stadium, Saturday, 1 p.m.

Valedictorians: Jorgie Neshem (Klahowya); Kaiya Moore (Olympic); Kal-El Drummond, Victor Gutierrez, Eleanor Hebard, Reece Huey, William Putaansuu (Central Kitsap)

North Kitsap School District

Ceremonies: North Kitsap High School stadium, Friday, 5 p.m. (North Kitsap); Saturday, 1 p.m. (Kingston)

Valedictorians: Dalton Brockett, Jason Hart, Trevor Martin, Laine Miller (North Kitsap); Claire Moe, Madeline Seid, Grace Epperson (Kingston)

North Mason School District

Ceremony: North Mason High School stadium, Friday, 7 p.m.

Valedictorian: Robert Farster IV

South Kitsap School District

Ceremonies: Explorer Academy (at Discovery), Friday, 10 a.m.; South Kitsap High School (at Tacoma Dome), Saturday, 1 p.m.; Discovery High School, June 14, 11 a.m.

Valedictorians: Hana Chollar, Colin Cox, Jackson Fager,  Emilia Hickle, Saqiya Sass, and Ashley Sciocchetti (South Kitsap); Jessica Martin (Explorer)

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Graduation 2022: Bremerton's Hurt in rare company as valedictorian