ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Rochester now has 30 new firefighters following the Rochester Fire Department graduation on Wednesday — its most diverse class to date, according to the City of Rochester.

“The fire department deserves a lot of credit, for keeping this academy on track during this pandemic — and so do our recruits,” Rochester Deputy Mayor James Smith said. “They deserve an enormous amount of credit for their perseverance, sticking with it and getting a good job done,”

More tham 80% of the 30 graduates are women or minorities. It’s the single largest increase in diversity from a recruit class. But city leaders gave praise for another reason, working through the pandemic.

“No other recruit class ever, not only is it the most diverse, but no other recruit class had to endure the obstacles that you had to endure,” Council Vice President Willie Lightfoot said.

The class valedictorian, Remington Reyes, is the first academy valedictorian to gradate from the career pathways to public safety programs.