Joshua was homeschooled for most of his life, but after falling behind while helping support his family’s business, he worried he might not finish high school alongside his peers in May 2026. With encouragement from his grandmother, a math tutor at Greenville Literacy Association, Joshua enrolled in GLA’s GED program in January with a clear goal: graduate on time.
Language arts proved to be his biggest challenge because of the amount of reading and the focus it required. But having a specific deadline kept Joshua motivated—even when studying meant working past midnight.
One of his favorite GLA memories was hearing Program Manager Ms. Vera ring the cowbell that celebrates every passed GED subject. After all those late-night study sessions, hearing it ring for his first test was both exciting and a relief—although, as Joshua admits, “It also jump-scared me.”
Math brought its own challenges. Joshua spent four days working with his grandmother to memorize the quadratic formula, only to discover that a formula sheet was provided during the exam! The extra studying still paid off: he passed Math on his first attempt and earned College Ready scores on all four GED subject tests.
Joshua credits his instructors—Mrs. Davidson, Mr. Beaudon, Mr. Treffinger, Mr. Snyder, and especially his grandmother—with helping him reach his goal.
His advice to future GED students is to pursue it wholeheartedly. “Getting your GED isn’t easy. It requires focus, dedication, patience, and a whole lot of paper. But the hard work and dedication required to graduate is truly worth it.”
With his GED complete, Joshua is now considering continuing his education at Bob Jones University or the Evangelical Institute for Biblical Counseling.