More than three hundred people gathered in A-B Tech’s Mission Health Conference Center on Thursday, June 13, some holding squirming children, while others clutched balloons or snapped cell phone photos. Piano music played and eyes swelled with tears as 40 graduates walked down the aisle in an event that that spanned age, lifestyle and culture. A-B Tech had 104 High School Equivalency graduates total complete the program this year and out of those, six were awarded scholarships to continue two-year degrees at the college. The Jack & Carol Ferguson Endowed GED® Bridge Scholarship Fund awarded $1,200 scholarships to Abigail James, Bryan Christopher Moray, Liubovi Zaporojenco, Chayse Sosa, Stephanie Christian and Poeme Mack.
A-B Tech President John Gossett opened up the ceremony by congratulating the graduates and emphasizing that the college is there to support them into the future. “You have opened doors that were previously closed,” he said, “We are there to help you with your future. You’ve got momentum. Keep that going.”
Student speakers were Victoria Toineeta, Chayse Sosa, Joshua Webster, Elisha Dequan Harrison and Jason Spillars. Toineeta spoke about how circumstances got in the way of her finishing her degree years ago, but she realized she had the power to change her path. “I found a network within these walls and found the strength to persevere,” she said. “I learned with the right support I can do anything I set your mind to.”
Sosa, who has previously struggled with addiction, said fourteen months ago she never would’ve believed she’d be standing on the stage getting her diploma. The HSE program, she said, wasn’t a choice; As part of the state’s recovery court program, she was required to complete her GED®. In coming to A-B Tech, she said, to her surprise, she thrived in the program and her teachers urged her to continue school. She is now in the Social and Human Services program, pursuing a longtime dream of becoming a substance abuse counselor.
Webster said unforeseen circumstances caused him to drop out of high school just four days before graduating. “It’s been a long journey and I’ve been through a lot…” He said. “I want to thank the staff here for making this an unstressful experience.”
Harrison, mother of four, said she’s tried for years to finish her GED®, but circumstances got in the way. “It was always something,” She said. “Health, anxiety, depression, lack of motivation. I had to learn how to handle anxiety and depression…” she said. Now with custody of her two year old daughter and a new baby, she was able to graduate despite the challenge of balancing studies with parenting. “I’m proud of myself,” she said. “I couldn’t of done it without my boyfriend, my kids and the staff here.”
Spillars said he decided to pursue his GED® in hopes of finding a better job. “Honestly,” he said. “It’s a good feeling to get (the program) behind your back. Once it’s behind you, you won’t regret it. There’s only one way to go in life and that’s forward.”
Keynote speaker Porscha Orndorf, Chair of the Social and Human Services program, expressed their pride in the students for their achievement and ended with the words: “You took your own path to get here. It didn’t look like what people told you when you were three… That tiny paper you got, it’s a key that will open the door… You’ve already moved mountains; the rest are molehills.”