UrbanCast has partnered with CLTCC to highlight students from CLTCC who have enrolled in the adult education program and completed their HiSET (formerly GED). This is the second in a series of interviews with people who are “Happy with My HiSET.”
Today we talked to Luke Carrington. Luke Is a 21-year-old husband and a soon-to-be father. Like many teenagers, Luke didn’t necessarily see the value that a high school diploma would bring him in the future. The school was not something he took seriously. Combine that with what Luke says was a less-than-ideal situation at home, and at the age of sixteen, Without much thought, Luke dropped out.
While working odd jobs and sometimes no job Luke knew he wanted more. He knew education was his path. With this in mind, Luke took the gigantic step of enrolling in the CLTCC adult education program. Luke would retain a lot of information from high school and pass 4 of the five requirements of the HiSET with no problem. But almost everybody will know about this, but..MATH! MATH was something Luke, Like a lot of folks, lacked the patience to lock in and learn enough to pass the HiSET.
After failing the math section and not immediately accomplishing a major goal for himself, Luke got disconnected from the diploma and went back to make a living. But he knew he needed that diploma. He knew he wanted it just as bad. That diploma would represent something to him and his family. That diploma would join Luke with his brother as the only members of his family with one. So once again, Luke enrolled in Adult education, this time online.
With the help of his girlfriend (wife now), mom, and grandma Luke quit his job and went full steam ahead with the plan of finishing the math part and getting his HiSET!! After stacks of workbooks and study guides and even the passing of his beloved grandma, Luke’s wherewithal took hold, and he passed math to become a high school graduate officially!
Luke said it was so fulfilling to have a graduation ceremony because it was something he had missed, and he was unsure if he would ever get that chance again. Luke was hired in Public Works full-time within two months of graduating with better pay and benefits! Luke was able to leverage that job to become a husband and then become a homeowner!! All because he joined the Adult Education program at CLTCC!
Talk about using one accomplishment to motivate the next one! Wow!
Luke advises anyone on the fence about joining the Adult education program at CTLCC, “ go do it. Don’t matter if you are 18 or 53. If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish it!” Luke wants his story to motivate everyone missing that educational piece to push to the next level.
You can change your future and your family’s future. CLTCC is the way. Get out and enroll. You, too, can become “Happy with My HiSET.”
