Monday, August 20, 2012

A brand new semester

We will have our first GED Test session for the 2012-2013 school year this week.  It's so exciting!  This semester's first GED Graduates will come from this week's testing.  I love getting those scores back from our scoring service.  I love seeing our students pass their tests and eventually graduate.  It's always a thrill working here and seeing the smile, the occasional tears, and the joy on the students' faces when they succeed.
At the end of the fall and spring semesters we hold a graduation ceremony.  This last August we had our last summer graduation that we will hold.  But it's always nice to see the students cross the stage and receive the recognition that they deserve.  You can see their family and friends cheer them on as they receive their diploma covers (the actual diploma is mailed to the recipient from Raleigh).
But that graduation, that passing score of anything over 2250 points should not be the end.  It should just be the beginning.  Having a GED Diploma is not enough in today's economy.  Employers are looking for skilled workers.  The GED Diploma is a door leading to better things, not an end.  At RCC we believe in our students.  So much so that we give them one free class in a continuing education class or a curriculum class for having finished their GED work with us.  Students can take anything with this voucher, from automotive to nursing, to photography to a computer literacy class.  Any class that we offer at RCC is open for this class.  While the GED will open the door to more options, at RCC we help our students take the next step.
During this Spring semester's curriculum graduation two students who earned their GED during my first semester here in Fall of 2009 walked across another stage, this time to accept their Associates Degree.  That was exciting!  They were moving on, moving forward to bigger and better things.  Things that would never have been possible if they didn't have their GED.  This last summer saw more of my graduates move on to receive their Associates as well.  And that tradition will continue.
When I see GED graduates out in town I always ask them what they are up to.  Some have found new employment, some have found better jobs, some are going to school as part of a certificate or degree program.  All of this is awesome.
At RCC we create opportunities that truly change lives.  If your life has been changed by being here at RCC we would love to hear your story. Maybe your words will help motivate another student out their to open that door to a world of opportunities that awaits those that earn their GED Diploma.

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