Liam Hill walked up the stairs to the stage with the tassel of his cap swishing and a subtle smile playing on his face. He received a white scroll — and a hug.

Thursday evening marked Hill’s graduation from Second Start’s Adult Diploma Program – a partnership with Concord High School – where he’s spent the last year taking online classes to receive his high school diploma.

“This is the first time in my life I can say I did something the right way,” said Hill, 19.

In a graduating class of 30 students, only 14 were able to attend graduation, but the auditorium at Concord Parks and Recreation was still packed to the brim with students and their families. After the ceremony, where diplomas were distributed by Kelly Dobin, the director of the Adult Diploma Program and Bill Mealey, the executive director, graduates and their loved ones mingled while eating sweets.

“These diplomas are the culmination of a lot of perseverance, obstacle overcoming and hard work. The adult diploma graduations are the best night we have all year,” said Mealey. “It’s really the reason why Second Start exists. This is the heart of our mission.”

Second Start opened in 1971 when two educators, Ruth Hooke and Nancy Callahan, realized that 42% of Merrimack County’s adults had not completed high school. They set out to teach adults reading, writing, math, and life-coping skills and today, Second Start has expanded to offer over a dozen programs, reaching thousands of students, like Hill.

“It’s the first thing I’ve ever accomplished,” said Hill.

Born and raised in the South Philadelphia area, Hill grew up surrounded by violence. In 2016, he moved to Auburn, Massachusetts, with his family – but his past followed him.

As he started high school, he began dabbling in drugs and alcohol. His fuse got shorter and shorter, and not much could stop him from getting into fights. When junior year rolled around, Hill threw away a scholarship opportunity and eventually dropped out. Soon after, he ended up in juvenile detention for the first time.

“That’s when I thought that I met God,” said Hill. “I thought because I read one book in my cell that I was all free, until I came right back out in 2024.”

That’s when he got destructive – even more fights, running from the cops and his first adult charge.

“I was fortunate enough to get released from the court, but I was not welcome home. I had a restraining order, and that’s when my life kind of fell to pieces,” said Hill.

He lived in a hotel for a month, but during that time, his parents were toiling to get him into a long-term treatment center for substance abuse. They found one, and in May 2024, Hill started at the Manchester, NH, branch of Adult and Teen Challenge, a Christian, live-in, faith-based organization that “exists to bring life-changing hope to those affected by substance use disorder.”

At Adult and Teen Challenge, Hill enrolled in Second Start’s Adult Diploma Program, which he was able to complete remotely while going through rehabilitation. Although he’s currently still in Adult and Teen Challenge’s program, he hopes to complete it in the next eight months.

“Accomplishing my diploma is the next start to accomplishing Adult and Teen Challenge. It’s not an easy program,” said Hill. “It’s going to be the next big thing I get to graduate. So, this is kind of setting me up.”

At the graduation ceremony, Hill’s mother, father and two sisters occupied one of the gray round tables, decorated with a black tablecloth, glowing battery-operated candles and a glass jar centerpiece filled with assorted flowers.

“It’s every parent’s dream and hope that their children will be successful and get through high school, then move on to college and make something out of themselves,” said Hill’s father, Brandon. “This kind of supersedes everything else. Just getting his diploma has been an amazing accomplishment and we couldn’t be any more proud.”

Hill’s mother, Kenndall, shared similar sentiments. When her son dropped out of high school, she didn’t think she would ever see him reach that milestone.

“When he told us that he was doing the second chances program and he would get an actual high school diploma and they’d even have a ceremony, that joy and that excitement came back,” she said. “So, I’m just really joyful and excited today for him.”

Scarlett and Noelle, Hill’s younger sisters, were excited to be at the graduation to support their brother.

“I feel really proud. I feel like he’s the type of person I look up to because of what he’s done,” said Noelle. “I’m not perfect, but he’s still a figure that shows me that if I lose people that I can’t look up to anymore, he’s a person I can always rely on.”

Once he graduates from Adult and Teen Challenge, he wants to intern there, maybe become a staff member, and eventually attend Northpoint Bible College – which is affiliated with the program – to become a youth minister.

“I’ve been able to have restoration with my family again. I’ve been able to finally be happy and free and give my all to Christ,” said Hill. “It’s because of Adult and Teen Challenge and Second Start that I’m here today.”

Yaa Bame can be reached at ybame@cmonitor.com.