‘You are your own heroes’: Grads lauded for hard work in earning high school equivalency certifications

GREENFIELD — Greenfield Community College and The Literacy Project recognized the hard work and achievements of 26 individuals who earned their high school equivalency certificates during a Thursday ceremony at the college.

Keynote speaker Cathy King, who has worked with The Literacy Project for 19 years and has seen more than 500 students take steps toward reaching their education goals, told graduates that they are “heroes,” and that while the value of a person should not be measured by their level of education and how many “pieces of paper” they have, their General Educational Development (GED) or High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) certifications are accomplishments that can never be taken away from them.

“You did the work. All we did was point the way. You invested in the TLP community, you made the phone call, you did the intake, you did the work,” King said. “Some of you took tests over and over again, and you did it. You passed. You did that. You are your own heroes, and for that, we are grateful, and I am in awe of you.”

The HiSET and GED are two alternative pathways for individuals who did not complete traditional high school to earn credit for a high school diploma. Both exams assess students’ understanding of reading, writing, science, social studies and math.

“Those tests are not easy, I know that. It is unfortunate that in our society, the high school equivalency is often looked upon as an easy way out. It’s different, but it’s not easy,” King said. “It’s a difficult and multi-dimensional exam, and the unfortunate thing about this is that much of society thinks that anyone can pass it.”

Student speaker Alice Dixon previously attended GCC as a dual-enrollment student, but never completed her degree or her high school diploma. With the support of her family and The Literacy Project, she said she has been able to overcome obstacles and meet her goals.

“Whatever led us to needing a helping hand did not stop us, not this time. We are officially graduates,” Dixon said. “I cannot speak for the rest of you guys, but for a while there, I thought it might never happen. Yet here I am. Here we are.”

“You all worked so incredibly hard to get to where you are, no matter how short or long the time it took, or any obstacles that stood in your way; you did it. Each one of us has our own reason as to why we’re here in these seats right now,” student speaker Leah Jenney said. “Some may want to further their education; some may have just left in the early stages of school and wanted to continue their journey, not in a high school setting; and some got their high school completion just to get it because it’s an accomplishment they want to make.”

Jenney shared that she had been expelled in her senior year of high school, and while she originally planned to pursue her high school equivalency, life got messy. She had a son, struggled with alcohol and became paralyzed due to an autoimmune disease. Now she is six months sober, has earned her high school diploma and has been accepted to GCC to further her education in business administration.

Student speaker Ketsy Ramirez added that her journey to graduation took 10 years. She moved to Greenfield a little over a year and a half ago, learned about The Literacy Project and began taking classes.

“Today I am stronger than ever,” Ramirez said. “I am very proud of myself, all of the graduates and everyone working toward their dreams. Don’t ever give up.”

Graduates

Gus Beauchaine, Rian Boudreau-Crocker, Caitlin Carbery, Cas Carbonella, Edgardo Cedeno, Alice Dixon, Ash Doucette, Angelique Fairchild, Dominic Garland, Enzo Garafalo, Malakai Gomez, Jason Gonzales, Aiden Hubbard, Leah Jenney, Mike Jones, Craig King Jr., Michael Nelson-Page, Paula Phillips, Abby Phillips, Ketsy Ramirez, Lee-Anna Renaud, Mikael Rodriguez, Craig Royal, Ashleigh Sanchez, Joshua Saulnier and Holly Saxe.