WCC grads turn tassels
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on May 15, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Leon Grantham lets his daughter Aayden, 1, try on his cap following the graduation ceremony for his Adult High School Program on Thursday evening at Wayne Community College. More than 200 students in the Adult High School and General Educational Development, or GED, programs received diplomas this year.
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Daniel Aguilera Gutierrez turns his tassel after being pronounced a graduate of the General Educational Development Program.
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
From left, Wayne Community College Officer Mary Barnes gives Victoria Byounce a good luck hug before graduation.
Carlos Chavez has told his story many times over the years, but standing on the stage in Moffatt Auditorium for his own graduation ceremony Thursday night, emotion almost overtook him.
One of two speakers chosen to address classmates in the Adult High School and General Educational Development, or GED, commencement program, his accomplishment was hard won.
Growing up in Guanajuato, Mexico, he did not make it past two years of high school, recalling how "very sad and disappointed" he was at falling short.
After following his father to the U.S., he worked alongside him as an agricultural worker for 12 years.
"Working in the fields is really hard labor, and I worked alongside my father to support our family who had stayed in Mexico," he said. "During all these years, my only focus was to work and to earn money to support my four brothers and make sure that they did complete their education."
He never allowed himself to think he might also finish school. Until he saw an ad for the High School Equivalency Program, or HEP, geared to farmworkers in Goldsboro.
He qualified and earned his GED certificate, as well as a scholarship, which opened more doors. He has completed an electrical wiring class and next month will start a heating and air conditioning class.
Now married with three children, he was one of 212 candidates for diplomas in the Class of 2015.
Adult High School graduate Brianna Cook said she was honored to be the other commencement speaker, but chuckled at the false starts that could have prevented that.
"This is my third time enrolling," the 22-year-old said. "To actually finish, it was a long road, but I finished. I was tired of complaining about my life and not doing anything about it."
She is also the mother of three children, ages 5, 2 and 6 weeks old.
"At nine months pregnant, I was catching the bus in the rain, but it had to get done," she said. But now, those thoughts have been replaced.
"I'm super excited about waking up tomorrow, knowing I finished."
She now plans to continue her education, beginning classes in Certified Nursing Assistant and working toward a nursing degree.
Maria Martinez is also a single mother, having dropped out of school before having her son two years ago.
The Honduras native had moved to this country when she was 12 and originally came to WCC to improve her English in the English as a Second Language program.
It was definitely not easy juggling high school classes, but the desire to give her son a better life also kept her on track. She even made the choice not to do the GED in Spanish, opting to do all the work in English.
"I'm really excited and really proud of the hard work that I did finally paid off," she said. "I'm proud that I reached my goal, that was my goal to finish high school."
Now 25, she said she is undecided about her next steps, but knows that this is only the beginning.
"I'm not going to stop," she said. "This was my dream and I'm living it now.
"The teachers were really nice. They help you, even if you've got questions. The teachers helped me a lot."
Tammy Sheard, 25, received an AHS diploma and took college classes as part of the Basic Skills Plus program.
She was originally supposed to graduate from high school in 2008 but had a few interruptions -- a baby and sickle cell anemia. She stayed out of school for awhile, working and taking care of her child.
Now a mother of two, ages 6 and 3, she wants to ensure they have a better future.
"It was a tough journey but I did it with them helping me along the way, doing it online," I'm actually nervous -- Oh, my God, this is real!"
Commencement was aptly named, as she is embarking on the next chapter of her education.
"I'm not done!" she said. "I'm actually going to summer school. I'm not going to stop school because I need it. I'm starting next month in medical billing and coding. It's a two-year degree."
Michael Pearson was almost incredulous at where he was.
The 25-year-old from Fayetteville completed the requirements for the GED in the DART Cherry program in February.
"It's an amazing feeling," he said. "I was out of school for nine years. I never thought I would finish. So in a way DART Cherry helped me out because I had no hopes of graduating. I didn't care whether I graduated or not."
He admitted he had made some poor choices along the way.
Family and his wife of one year, Kimberly, have been supportive. He also credited one teacher, Tim Rose at DART Cherry, with helping him through the program.
"He's a very good guy and he's an awesome teacher," he said. "I give him a lot of respect and thank him from the bottom of my heart for working with me."
In addition to a diploma, Pearson has a whole new outlook on his future.
"I'm going to go on to UNC-Pembroke and I'm going to try to be a paramedic," he said. "I can't wait to tackle, I have so many, just so many dreams. I feel like I'm 17 again.
"The feeling that it gave me, it makes you think, if I can accomplish that, what else can I accomplish?"