For many Boston residents, the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance (MAHA), based on Dorchester Avenue, has long been a springboard to the American dream of home ownership. The non-profit agency offers intensive classes, which run from a single day to a week, that teach Bostonians the ins and outs of buying a home and managing a property.

After completing one such class, 50 hopeful first-time buyers gathered on Saturday morning to hear from Mayor Martin Walsh, who handed out their graduation certificates.

The ceremony also served as a celebration of the success of the Community Preservation Act (CPA), Question 5 on last November’s ballot, that 74 percent of Bostonians voted for. Walsh spearheaded that campaign along with Boston City Councillors Andrea Campbell and Michael Flaherty, who also attended the ceremony.

Volunteers from MAHA, one of many Dorchester organizations that supported the measure, were instrumental in spreading the word about the CPA – a 1 percent property tax surcharge that will generate about $20 million dollars for Boston to build affordable housing, preserve its parks and green spaces, and maintain historic properties.

Walsh told the assembly that before the election, he couldn’t even get hold of a “Yes on 5” sign for his lawn because the effort had become so popular. At the ceremony, the mayor was given a framed “Yes on 5” campaign poster for his dedication.

To Walsh, the referendum proved that Bostonians who would reach into their own pockets to help others find housing live in an inclusive city.

The MAHA ceremony came just hours after President Donald Trump had issued an executive order that temporarily bans immigrants and refugees from entering the US from seven predominantly Muslim countries. The immigrants and refugees are banned for the next 90 to 120 days, respectively, while Syrian refugees are banned indefinitely.

An outspoken critic of Trump’s threat to cut funding from cities that offer sanctuary to undocumented immigrants, Walsh railed against the latest edict from the White House on Saturday. “Whether you were born in a different country, or your parents were born in a different country — regardless of the color of your skin or your gender — we’re going to make sure that you have the opportunity to live the American dream here in the city of Boston,” he told the graduating class.

Prior to the graduation, Percy Stallworth, who led the MAHA group through basic information about credit, mortgages, insurance, and more, quizzed students in their final session. “Is this too straightforward? Should I throw you a couple of curve balls?” joked Stallworth, who said that the students were advised “so that your property becomes an asset to you, not a liability.”

He added, “Continue to question — question everybody, and everything. Now I don’t know everything, but I do know about housing, and I stand on that knowledge like Moses stood on that rock.”

He assured the graduates that they were ready to test the waters of the housing market. “We weren’t able to bring caps and gowns, but we brought you something better,” said one of the graduation’s organizers, gesturing towards the mayor.

Dorchester native Walsh took a class himself to prepare for buying his first home. “My goal and dream in life was to own a home. I never knew if I would be able to do that,” he said.

He recalled the anxiety of credit card debt and not having enough money in the bank while he took the class years ago. However, he compared the process of buying a home to a baby learning how to crawl, then stand — “before long, they’re running,” he said.

Councillor Campbell lives in Mattapan and took a similar class to prepare for buying a home with her husband. She is wary of the term “affordable housing,” as affordable for some isn’t affordable for all. The councillor, who represents Dorchester and Mattapan, said that in her community, there are people who work two or three jobs, but still can’t afford a place to live.

Thadine Brown, now the vice-president of MAHA, took the class herself. She stayed involved after graduating and was later invited onto the board of directors. Brown, who bought a single-family home in Hyde Park at 29 as a single mom, praised the CPA as a ripe opportunity to encourage more homeownership.

She also noted that people who live and work in the city have been talking about moving — or have already moved — out of Boston, because they can no longer afford to live there.

“At the end of the day, we just want you to stay in the city,” said Councillor Flaherty, who owns a home in South Boston. “We want you to be a resident, and participate, and be active civically,” he said.