Events
Wake Tech Holds Graduation For High School Equivalency Programs
RALEIGH, N.C. (December 15, 2014) - Eighty-nine proud students earned credentials tonight at the fall graduation ceremony for Wake Tech’s High School Equivalency and Adult High School programs. The ceremony honored 63 students who completed the GED® test to earn a high school credential and another 26 who earned Adult High School (AHS) diplomas. The AHS diploma is for students who need five credits (or fewer) to graduate.
New graduate Laila Ahmad told her story: An honor student, she dropped out of high school one semester shy of graduating – young, in love, and in a rush to grow up. She soon realized she couldn’t build a life with someone else without first building her own. She completed Wake Tech’s Adult High School program and is now studying cosmetology, and she recently accepted an apprenticeship at a Raleigh salon. Ahmad told fellow students: “turn your setbacks into comebacks.”
Carlos Chavez earned his GED credential through the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) funded by the U.S. Department of Education, which supports migrant agricultural workers and offers instruction in Spanish. Chavez dropped out of high school to work in the fields with his father, to support family back in Mexico. “I never thought I would have the opportunity to graduate from high school, let alone learn in my own language,” Chavez said. He is now enrolled in an electrical wiring class at Wake Tech and plans to explore a new career.
Monica Gemperlein, Dean of Wake Tech’s College & Career Readiness (CCR) programs, encouraged graduates to keep pursuing higher education. “You have proven that you can achieve something great,” Gemperlein said. “It is within your power to continue to excel, and Wake Tech is here to help.”
Students in the College & Career Readiness programs will have a new facility in 2015: The Beltline Education Center, at 3200 Bush Street in Raleigh, will house the High School Equivalency Preparation (GED preparation), Adult High School, English as a Second Language, and Adult Basic Education (ABE/TOPS) programs beginning January 20. Wake Tech’s Adult Education Center on Capital Boulevard, which opened in 1991 and served as the hub for CCR programs until last month, has closed.
Pre-registration has begun for spring 2015 CCR classes! Go to http://ccr.waketech.edu to get started, or call 919-334-1527 for more information.
