Pride in their accomplishment of completing requirements for a general education development diploma and gratitude to friends, family and teachers was echoed by Christopher Martin, Joshua Hansen and Christina Orr as they addressed their fellow graduates at Monday’s GED commencement exercises at Allen County Community College.
“This is not a final step in our education, it’s a new beginning and a stepping stone to our future,” Martin said.
Martin said he was in need of a better paying job and knew in order to advance in the work place he would need his high school diploma and college classes. The GED program at ACCC was a good fit for him.
“I wanted to get my GED for myself but foremost I wanted to complete my education for my grandchildren,” Martin said. “The one thing I’ve learned over the years is that I have to work hard to pursue my dreams.”
Hansen completed his GED requirements on the Burlingame campus.
“I want everyone to know that ACCC is a wonderful place to get an education,” Hansen said.
Hansen said he found out the hard way that you can’t get a good paying job without an education, and that few people look up to a person who drops out of school.
“I would encourage anyone who didn’t finish their high school education to come to ACCC so they could feel the same sense of accomplishment that I do,” Hansen said.
Orr said in the past several years she has turned her life around from working a dead-end job to pursing college classes at ACCC to become a registered nurse.
“I had tried other GED programs but never succeeded until I came to Allen County,” Orr said.
The teachers at ACCC want the students to do well and are only a telephone call away if help is needed outside of the classroom, Orr said.
JOHN MASTERSON, president of ACCC, expressed his pride in the graduates who balanced work schedules and family responsibilities to complete their education.
Masterson awarded Presidential Scholarships to six graduates who scored 650 or better on their GED tests, which is the equivalent of a 3.75 or higher grade point average.
Dean’s Scholarships were given to seven students who scored 601-649 on the GED examination which averaged out to a 3.5 to 3.74 GPA.
Twenty-seven students were recognized with Merit Scholarships for scoring 520-600 on the GED test and carrying a 3.0-3.49 GPA.
Fifty-nine students completed requirements for their GED diplomas. Twenty-eight attended commencement services. Forty of the 59 students graduated with honors.
In the past five years 243 of 530 students have completed GED requirements. Some students leave the program early without graduating while others do not participate in the program with the goal of a GED, but rather as preparation for college, said Julia Martin, adult education coordinator at ACCC.
THE NEXT GED session begins on July 5 and will meet from 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday. Enrollment should be made prior to the first day of class by calling ACCC at 365-5116 and asking for extension 250, 278 or 301.
