Tomorrow, Townsend Harris will be hosting its graduation ceremony for the class of 2026 at Colden Auditorium. As seniors are preparing to graduate, THHS alumna Jillissa Drayton Vinegra is preparing to deliver her keynote speech to them nine years after her own graduation at Colden Auditorium.
“I want the students to know that the greatest days of their lives are ahead, and more importantly, that they are going to be okay because they are well equipped for everything life will take their way,” Ms. Vinegra said, speaking of the plans she has for her speech. She said she is honored to be part of “such an important milestone in the lives” of this year’s graduating class.
Ms. Vinegra began as a freshman at THHS in 2013, months after her brother, Terell Drayton, graduated from THHS.
Mr. Drayton said “he couldn’t be more proud of” his sister for being selected to speak at graduation. “Nine years after leaving THHS, her impact is still felt, which speaks volumes about the person she,” he said. “As her older brother, I am constantly inspired by the way she shows up for others.”
Ms. Vinegra went on to attend NYU Stern School of Business with a full scholarship after graduating from THHS. She characterized her time at THHS as one of personal growth amidst challenges.
“High School was the busiest period of my life, the most sleep-deprived I’ve ever been, and probably the time when I doubted myself the most,” she said. “But if you graphed [my personal growth] from birth until now, there’d be a steady slope for those four years. I look back on it with nothing but gratitude and also just happiness.”
Since graduating from NYU Stern, Ms. Vinegra has worked as a manager at HATCH Collective and Viome, and she now serves as Director of Retention at Fast Growing Trees, the top online plant nursery in America. She specializes in customer engagement, analytics, and growth strategy.
“Townsend really force me to figure out that I have more control over my perception of self than I thought,” she said, discussing the development of her career. She said that when she feels a sense of imposter syndrome “the way I’m able to move on and put that aside is through a lot of the lessons that I learned in THHS.”
According to her teachers, Ms. Vinegra should not need to worry about imposter syndrome.
“I taught [Ms. Vinegra] when she was a freshman, and if we had wanted her to be the graduation speaker back then, she would have been ready,” said English teacher and Classic advisor Brian Sweeney. “She was always incredibly professional, impressive, organized, personable, and mature. I’d love to say that we helped shape her into that person, but the truth is she arrived with many of those qualities already in place. What we were able to do was give her opportunities to grow and put those strengths into practice.”
During her years at THHS, Ms. Vinegra served as a Classic staff member, eventually becoming Features Editor for the newspaper. She also directed the 2017 College Video for The Classic, which was shown at graduation for the first time that year. It’s now a graduation tradition.
On her time at the paper, Ms. Vinegra said that Mr. Sweeney’s support helped her significantly with her self-esteem.
“I felt really safe with him to be myself. He just treated me like a person, not a student, and he does that for everyone he meets,” she said, recalling that after graduation he gave her a copy of her college recommendation letter, which she said helped her move on to the next stage of her life.
“My parents didn’t go to high school or college, so sometimes you feel like you’re not built for this fast-paced world or as good as other people. Mr. Sweeney saw my sensitivity and my caring so much as a positive thing, as strengths. That equipped me with the confidence to enter college and know that I belonged there just as much as everyone else did.”
In addition to working on The Classic, Ms. Vinegra described other extracurricular activities at THHS that helped shape her. She was a track runner and served as S!NG director for two years. She said she’s still proud of the fact that the Class of 2017 was on the winning S!NG team three years in a row.
Ms. Vinegra also remembered the influence that Spanish teacher Beatriz Ezquerra had on her.
“I really took Spanish more seriously in high school,” she said. “Ms. Ezquerra was my AP Spanish teacher, and she ignited my love for Spanish. She was just so amazing.”
Ms. Vinegra’s husband is Chilean and she said they regularly visit Chile, where she speaks Spanish with his family. She said they compliment her language skills, which she attributes to the work she did beginning in her high school years.
“[Ms. Vinegra] transmitted so much joy, and she was always smiling,” Ms. Ezquerra said of her former student, in an interview conducted for an earlier piece on her former student. “Her laughter was unforgettable and her work ethic was impeccable. She was a model student, and I remember her because of that.”
Assistant Principal of English and Music Ryan Dunbar taught Ms. Vinegra during his first year teaching at THHS. He said that he recalls her being a welcoming presence for a new teacher.
“She was so kind to me as I was learning the ropes,” he said. “I can’t wait to hear about the journey she’s been on since graduating.”
Ms. Vinegra has also contributed to the Townsend Harris Alumni Association (THAA) since graduating, earning praise from its leaders.
“It was a great day when [Ms. Vinegra] began sharing her talents with the Alumni Association,” said Debra Michlewitz, a former THHS teacher and a member of the THAA board of directors. “She had great ideas, great skills, and a great work ethic. It was particularly gratifying to work with her on our online newsletter which spotlighted alums who were doing wonderful things in different fields. I’m so glad I got to know her.”
Though this is the first time she will be addressing graduates at Colden Auditorium, Ms. Vinegra has returned for Career Day before, including this year, where she shared her perspective on her marketing career. What made her session unique was that she ran it with her brother, who also works in marketing.
“What we wanted to do was demystify marketing,” Ms. Vinegra said. In order to engage students, she assembled a presentation and planned small group sessions to simulate working a marketing job.
Now, as an upcoming graduation keynote speaker, Ms. Vinegra said she feels thrilled to congratulate and welcome graduates into adulthood. She will be joined by two speakers, both of whom are also Classic editors: Salutatorian Kaitlyn Lee and Valedictorian Samia Orva.
Samia said she is hoping to highlight the “tenacity” of the class of 2026. “We’ve gone through most of our middle school years during COVID and entered Townsend with doubts cast on our ability to measure up to the demands of high school,” she said. “In these moments, there is much inspiration and strength to be found in the people around us.”
Kaitlyn said she’s looking forward to the ceremony. “I hope tomorrow gives everyone a chance to pause and be present in a moment we’ll only experience once,” she said.
Part of that moment will involve Ms. Vinegra’s address. Mr. Sweeney said she’s the right person for the job.
“She has always embraced new challenges and is always seeking out new experiences,” Mr. Sweeney said. “And I think that willingness to keep growing is what makes her such an outstanding choice as this year’s commencement speaker.”
“I’m so excited to be there,” Ms. Vinegra said. “I’m excited to cheer on with the graduates, and I’m excited to be a part of their next step into adulthood.”
