"I have lived in this country for a long time and [until now] I could not vote. I didn't have a voice," Milu Benko said. "As a high school teacher, I would always encourage my students to vote and register to vote. But I myself couldn't do that," she said.
"One summer, I took my daughter to the Southeast Library and saw a flyer for classes for citizenship... I decided it was time."
Abigail Ricketson gave up on herself until she had kids."I got a job the same week I got my diploma," she said. Now, she's determined to go to college, get her own place, and be the support that they need. "Just because you feel like you can't do it doesn't mean you can't. You just gotta keep moving forward."
Jason Campbell had been working in a warehouse for the last ten years. But as a husband and a father, he wanted to do more than just make ends meet. "I knew that getting a diploma puts me in a situation where I can support my family better," he said. "There are a lot more opportunities — once you have a college degree — than there are for someone with no high school diploma." So, when he heard about the free GED® program at the Library, Jason reached out.
Last month, in the Center for Adult Learning, several students celebrated their “graduation” from Level 5 English for Speakers of Other Languages classes, the Library’s highest ESOL course level. While no official certificates were awarded at this event, no one left empty-handed. They also walked away having acquired new skills and new friends.
Samson Pickens was determined to be a successful father and good role model for his two children. To provide them with all the support they needed and the footsteps he hoped they’d follow in, he knew he needed a great career. But first, he’d have to earn his high school diploma.
Lateka Perry found herself surrounded by a lot of prominent, successful people… people who saw her potential and pushed her. But she didn’t always believe in herself. She was an entrepreneur, a mentor, a mother. There was just one problem: she just couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t as smart or as deserving of success as the people she looked up to. She didn’t have her high school diploma. But with the support of her husband and children, she was finally able to prove to herself that she could finish what she started.
Tiffaney always strived to be the role model her daughter needed. To show her just how important education is, Tiffaney decided to finish her schooling. But first, she needed to complete her high school diploma with help from the Library's Center for Adult Learning. After passing the G.E.D. Test®, she's ready and eager to get her bachelor's degree and move forward in her career.
After a close friend completed her high school diploma with help from the Library's Center for Adult Learning, Geneva started to picture herself in that cap and gown, holding her own high school diploma. Now she's passed her G.E.D. Test® and she's ready for the next chapter of her amazing story.
Lianying Ye earned a medical degree in China. Tragically all of her school records and proof of credentials were lost in a fire. Knowing that Lianying wanted to resume her education, a friend suggested the library as a place where she might take computer classes and GED classes.
Getting past the GED test might lead to your childhood dream—even if it’s to become a mortician. So the story goes for Jacqueline, a 2018 GED graduate at Jacksonville Public Library, who dreamed of becoming a mortician. Despite receiving a certificate of completion from high school, Jacqueline, who’s enrolled in Florida State College at Jacksonville’s mortuary science program, realized she’d need more than that to pursue the career she envisioned.
