Scores of Los Angeles-area 11th-graders visited the USS Battleship Iowa, in San Pedro, on Tuesday, Feb. 25, to learn about the life of a historic U.S. Navy vice admiral, and listen to military and business leaders discuss what motivated them to break through social barriers — on their way to success.
The event, the Gravely Celebration Experience, is an annual invitation-only luncheon named after Vice Adm. Samuel L. Gravely Jr. The event, according to the Battleship USS Iowa Museum, is intended to showcase the vice admiral’s life and career. Gravely Jr. was the first African American to take command of a Navy combatant ship, and be promoted to the ranks of commander, captain, rear admiral and, finally, vice admiral.
Nearly 200 11th-grade students from the Los Angeles area attend the annual Gravely Celebration Experience aboard Battleship Iowa in San Pedro on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
International Longshore & Warehouse Union President Gary Herrera, left, speaks during the annual Gravely Celebration Experience aboard Battleship Iowa in San Pedro on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Rear Admiral Mike Shatynski speaks during the annual Gravely Celebration Experience aboard Battleship Iowa in San Pedro on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Commander Warren Wright speaks during the annual Gravely Celebration Experience aboard Battleship Iowa in San Pedro on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Maritime Consultant Kim Estes, right, takes questions during the annual Gravely Celebration Experience aboard Battleship Iowa in San Pedro on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Nearly 200 11th-grade students from the Los Angeles area attend the annual Gravely Celebration Experience aboard Battleship Iowa in San Pedro on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Commander Warren Wright, center, speaks during the annual Gravely Celebration Experience aboard Battleship Iowa in San Pedro on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Show Caption1 of 7Nearly 200 11th-grade students from the Los Angeles area attend the annual Gravely Celebration Experience aboard Battleship Iowa in San Pedro on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
ExpandA panel discussion, meanwhile, featured U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Warren Wright, and associate at Booz Allen Hamilton; Gary Herrera, president of International Longshore & Warehouse Union Local 13; and Kim Estes, maritime consultant for Collier, Walsh, Nakazawa LLC. The panel was co-hosted by television and podcast personality Tanya Acker and Barbara Shannon, founder and president of the nonprofit Beyond Synergy, which supports alumni of Synergy Quantum Academy — a Los Angeles high school that focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics — through their college years.
The luncheon also kicked off the 12th annual Gravely Celebration Experience Essay Contest, during which high school juniors can vie for scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,000. The essay’s topic, according to an Iowa press release, asks students to reflect on Gravely’s three keys to success: education, motivation, and perseverance.
The deadline to submit an essay is April 20.
For more details on the contest, go to gravelyexperience.org.
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