Longtime Educator to Address GED Graduating Class at 10th Anniversary of MDC Adult Education Program
Miami, Tuesday, May 06, 2008 - Life is full of second chances and the students graduating from Miami Dade College’s (MDC) General Education Diploma (GED) program on Thursday, May 8, 2008, know the meaning of sacrifice and hard work all too well. On the heels of one of the college’s largest commencement exercises in history, MDC is about to celebrate another milestone this week, its 10th GED program graduation. This year’s keynote speaker will be T. Willard Fair, board chair for the Florida Department of Education and president and chief executive officer of the Urban League of Greater Miami.
“The GED program is successful because we remove the labels and give students a chance to succeed academically,” said Susan Dow, MDC director of adult education. “Many have either dropped out of school because they had to work to support a family or made unwise decisions that ended with them having to forfeit a conventional education. There are many stories of both hardship and triumph but in the end, the ultimate victory (passing the GED exam) is what truly matters. This is their ticket to the next level.”
Established in 1998 at the Kendall Campus, the GED program at MDC is now offered on five campuses and to date, has graduated more than 3,500 students; 40% of whom have decided to remain at the College and enroll in its post-secondary programs. While many students fulfill the requirements for program completion, many choose to skip the actual ceremony. “Many students are so driven and focused on completing the program and getting a passing score, they usually move on to the next order of business,” added Dow. “They are anxious to tackle the next challenge, such as a new job or college classes. Our goal is to help them continue their education by giving them a second chance to document what they’ve learned from both school and life in general.” In the past two years, nearly 1,000 students have graduated from the GED program at MDC.
Like many GED program participants, former student and GED Online graduate Nichole Harper knows the significance of second chances all too well. At the age of 14, Harper was forced to quit school so she could work a full-time job to support her disabled father. Having barely finished middle school, at 18, she had begun logging more hours as an employee than she had done as a student in a classroom. From the graveyard shift in a nursing home to a full-time stint at Eastman Kodak, where she worked for seven years before being laid-off, Harper had become the epitome of perseverance and survival. With a solid-work history under her belt, yet no formal education to back it up, Harper decided in 2005 to focus on getting a GED and eventually going to college. Harper believes her struggle early in the program was because she dropped out of school too early. As a result, she failed many practice tests in the beginning and was forced to study as long as 12 hours a day preparing for the GED exam. With the help of her online instructor, Karin Miller, she passed the exam and later enrolled at MDC’s North Campus where she will be graduating with honors later this year. In addition, Harper learned just last month that she was accepted into Columbia University for the fall 2008 semester.
- WHAT: Miami Dade College GED Program’s Graduation Ceremony
- WHEN: Thursday, May. 8, 6:30 PM
- WHERE: Miami Dade College North Campus, 11380 N.W. 27th Avenue, North Miami-Dade, Building 5, Lehman Theatre
For more information about MDC’s adult education programs: visit http://www.mdc.edu/ce or contact Susan Dow at 305-237-2187 or via e-mail sdow@mdc.edu