Graduation Ceremony for GED Recipients Held at WKCTC

Taking the Next Step: Key Message from Ceremony

Paducah, KY (06/21/2019) — "One thing I won't have in my way is the word, 'can't.'" That is the new outlook and message of encouragement Jacqueline Warren shared with a standing room only crowd of family and friends as the student speaker at the 2018-2019 GED graduation. She was one of 34 GED recipients at the ceremony held June 20 in West Kentucky Community and Technical College's Crounse Hall. More than 70 students from Carlisle, McCracken and Graves counties received their GED from WKCTC in 2018-19.

Warren, 35, didn't always have confidence in herself. She overcame many obstacles in life to get to where she is today. She grew up in Chicago as the eldest of five children to parents who also had not earned a high school diploma. She had her first child at age 15, and also cared for two other children adopted by her beloved grandmother, all while attending high school.

She worked numerous jobs without her high school diploma, sometimes making good money, but sometimes having to work two jobs at a time.

"I started thinking about pursuing a career, and in order to do that, I needed a degree," said Warren, who moved to Paducah in 2007 and lives in McCracken County.

Although she enrolled in a college in 2009 and graduated with honors in 2011 from a college that didn't require her to have a GED, Warren said she felt incomplete and couldn't step forward without stepping back. She enrolled in the Skills U program at WKCTC in June 2018 and earned her GED just six months later while working full time.

Warren is now taking the next step in her education. She is currently enrolled in WKCTC's radiography program with the aspiration of becoming an ultrasound technician.

Taking the next step in education was also a key message of the evening's keynote speaker, WKCTC's Financial Aid Director Angel Rhodes, who understands the struggles of many of the GED recipients on a personal level.

"I know how hard you have worked to be here tonight because it wasn't that long ago that I was sitting in that seat, celebrating my own GED graduation," said Rhodes, a Marshall County resident, who has worked at the college for almost 13 years.

"I was a high school dropout from a poor family. I was the first person in my family to go to college. I was a single mom with two kids. We each have our own challengers and struggles," she said as she addressed the audience.

After earning a GED from WKCTC in 2002, Rhodes continued her education to earn an associate degree from the college in 2008. She then earned a bachelor's degree from Murray State University in 2011 and a master's degree from Morehead State University in 2014 while working full time and raising her children.

"You have shown perseverance by earning your GED," Rhodes added. "So my challenge to you is this: Enjoy tonight; you deserve it! But tomorrow, start planning for your next celebration."

WKCTC President Anton Reece echoed that sentiment encouraging the GED recipients to take their success to the next level.

"This occasion is indeed special. Graduates, this is a big deal. This is a key step. This is a win," he said. "...Education is one of the most transformational tools that you will have in your arsenal as you continue your life journey. So, it makes sense when I ask the question out loud, 'what's next?' What happens after the celebration today is equally important."

For more information about the WKCTC Skills U program, contact Tammy Maines, at tammy.maines@kctcs.edu, (270)534-3156.

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