Columbus, Miss. (WCBI) – Sometimes the difference between continuing and moving on can be just one crucial decision.
This is the case for many people when it comes to finishing their education.
EMCC’s Adult Education Program is here to help those who have taken the next step.
After leaving high school, Shantoya Tate did not know if she would continue her education.
I found a way in March when I took adult education classes at EMCC to get my GED.
Now, she’s looking forward to graduating and starting college this fall, but her journey hasn’t always been easy.
Tate’s journey to get her GED started in 2019.
After her mother’s death, Shantoya said it was difficult to stay focused, and she dropped out of the program.
But she’s back on track, and nearly four years later, she’s achieved her goal.
“I didn’t think I’d come back,” said Tate, “but something changed my mind to go back and still finish.”
That thing was her two-year-old daughter.
“I wanted to make a better life for myself and her,” said Tate.
Now, Tate is looking forward to crossing the stage in her hat and gown and finally planning to pursue one of her lifelong dreams – plastic surgery.
“I love doing hair and makeup. It’s been my dream since I was little,” said Tate.
Miranda Skinner, adult education teacher and Smart Starter, knows firsthand what some of her students are going through, and sometimes that helps her get through them better.
“Sometimes I’ll tell them my story and let them know their suffering isn’t that bad. They’re bad but they’re not as bad as they think they are. I’ve been through it myself, you know I’m a single mom with kids and stuff like that and I’m trying to pay the bills and the living checks for the paycheck. I told them,” Tate said. They can get through it no matter what.”
Skinner said this program goes beyond the classroom and prepares students for the real world.
“We teach how to prepare resumes, serve clients on jobs, and interview skills. We also prepare them to take the Keys to the Job exam, too,” Tate said.
Adult Education Director Chora Desmuk said the first steps are always the hardest.
“Some of the challenges we see is getting people to come through the door to take the next step to getting their high school equivalency. Else
The challenges we see are barriers that we sometimes like to call resilience. Sometimes they have to go to work rather than go to school, so these are usually challenges for our students,” Dismuk said.
Dismuke said Mississippi State has experimented with a new opportunity for students earning a GED.
Early results look promising.
“The Mississippi Office of Adult Education recently experimented with or created opportunities for students with high district scores and district GED scores to have those scores be pooled together to offer a high school equivalency through what is called a full transcript,” he said, breaking up.
As for Shantou Tet. She says she will come back and say one thing to her younger self.
“I would tell myself to push harder during this and stay focused,” Tate said.
To learn more about the adult education program, visit Adult Education
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