'It wasn't an easy road': 17 students receive GED diplomas from Highland Community College

FREEPORT — Seventeen students graduated from Highland Community College’s GED program on Thursday.

“It’s just the first step for them,” Rachel Feldhaus, director of adult education at Highland, said. “The doors are open for more education, for jobs, for really anything that they want to do now that they have that piece of paper in their hand that says they can do anything.”

A GED diploma is for students who left high school before they were able to finish. To get a GED diploma, students had to take and pass 9 tests in subjects like social studies, math, science and reading.

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It can take students years to pass all the required tests. Eineshia Williams spent three years trying to pass the social studies exam to get her GED. She spoke about her struggles during the 49th annual ceremony as the featured student speaker.

"I wanted to give up, but I didn’t," Williams said. "It wasn’t an easy road, but we all made it today."

Williams spoke alongside guest speaker Carly Rice, founder of Miss Carly’s in Rockford. Rice completed Highland’s GED program about 9 years ago.

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“I never thought when I was sitting on skid row in Los Angeles that I would be able to help one other person, and it all started with the build up from getting my GED,” Rice said during her speech.

Miss Carly’s is a non-profit organization that feeds people facing homelessness. Rice and her family feed about 1,000 people a day, according to Rice.

To learn more about Highland’s Adult Education GED or English as a Second Language classes, call 815-599-3460 or visit the college's website.

Jena Kleindl is a freelance correspondent. 

This article originally appeared on Journal Standard: Students receive GED diplomas from Highland Community College