Adult Education: Bridging Gaps, Building Confidence

Narcisa came to the United States 13 years ago from Bosnia and Herzegovina. At that time, she did not speak English. She graduated from high school in her country but found that a GED would make her entrance into college in the US much easier, so she decided to pursue it. 

Conner moved with his family to Mauldin in his senior year of high school. Soon thereafter, he got a job in a sandwich shop, found the lure of a paycheck irresistible, and dropped out of school. It wasn’t long before he realized that his salary wasn’t enough for him to live on and that dropping out had not been the best thing to do.

Ana came to the United States 4 years ago from The Dominican Republic. Ana was a good student in her own country and even graduated from High School, but when she came here, she struggled to find employment because she was unable to speak English. Her first job was working the window at McDonalds where she practiced her English by taking customer orders.

Kathryn’s high school experience was short-lived. She fell behind early in the 9th grade and was never able to catch up, so she soon dropped out. She regretted not finishing high school, especially once she had a child and realized the importance of being a good role model.

Alisha dropped out of High School in the 9th grade, but it was always her goal to get her GED. The responsibility of studying while working and raising a child proved difficult. But Alisha attended a variety of adult education classes and eventually reached the point of passing every test except Math, her most challenging subject.

Jackie’s high school experience was very traumatic.  When she was only 14 her mother was a gunshot victim. Although her mother survived, her recovery took a very long time.   During this time, Jackie became pregnant and, although she returned to school after the baby was born, she was diagnosed with both MS and congestive heart failure. All of this resulted in her dropping out in the 10th grade.