Friends, family and past teachers gathered to celebrate years of laughter and memories at Jay Jay Michaud’s graduation from the Community Access Program (CAP) on March 7, 2025.
Michaud was known for his humor, and his personality was on full display at the event. Special education teacher Caitlyn Hynes noted his excitement.
“We have some kids that are really sad and they don’t really want to stand up or say anything, whereas Jay Jay was thrilled to just know that everyone was there for him,” Hynes said.
Michaud was a burst of energy, something that will be missed in his absence.
“He had excellent comedic timing,” Hynes said. “A couple times he would tell a joke like he was a standup comic and get everyone’s attention. You would think he wasn’t paying attention and we’d say something to another student and he’d have a funny like come back to it. His mind just worked really quickly in that way.”
Speech and Language Pathologist Lisa Pagan developed a close bond with Michaud, and saw firsthand the level of progress he accomplished.
“We immediately connected over his love of different movies and figures,” Pagan said. “I have whole boxes of figures under my desk that he asked me to collect for him. When we got back after COVID, I started to really see a lot of his creativity once we were able to be together again.”
Fueled by his creativity, Michaud took on a leadership role in the program.
“He always came with a plan with different ideas for different videos he wanted to create or scenes he wanted to act out for movies,” Pagan said. “His friends were always more than happy to follow along and do whatever he planned.”
As for the ceremony itself, Michaud wrote up a guest list that showcased his deep connection to the community. He invited family and friends from the program along with past teachers who left an impact on his life.
“He independently gave me a list of old teachers from old schools that he wanted to invite and everyone who was available did come,” Pagan said. “He did a really nice job chatting with everybody and catching up and saying bye.”
Going forward, Michaud will be involved in a self-directed program with the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services where he will spend time learning vocational skills and connecting with others. His mother, Kristina Arroyo, looks forward to this next step following graduation.
“It was a large milestone to achieve,” Arroyo said via email. “Graduation is the final reward for all the challenges he had to overcome in his life in order to obtain this. For us as his family, we couldn’t be more proud of him!”
