Years after leaving school without a diploma, Deborah returned to education, earned her GED, and began seeing possibilities for herself that once felt out of reach.
“I wanted to push myself to do something I’ve never done.”
— Deborah
Deborah Holmes had been away from school for years when she decided she was ready to finish what she had started.
Her education had been interrupted when she was young. After her parents divorced, she began missing school and transferring between schools. Life kept moving, and before she knew it, she was 18 without a high school diploma.
She tried returning through an alternative school, but that path didn't work out. Eventually, another referral led her to Project Learn.
Deborah remembers signing up and thinking one thing:
“This has to be it!!”
She wanted her GED. She wanted to be able to help her children with their education. And after years of putting one foot in front of the other through difficult circumstances, she wanted to accomplish something for herself.
“I wanted to satisfy self on seeing what could transpire if I pushed myself to do something I’ve never done,” she said.
Working toward her GED wasn't easy, but Deborah began to see the possibility of finishing something that had remained unfinished for years.
“There was light at the end of the tunnel, and I could in fact reach it, but only if ‘I’ stayed focused and consistent.”
— Deborah
That focus became important to her.
Instead of thinking about everything that had happened before, Deborah concentrated on what she could do next.
“It depended on ME not THEM,” she said.
She kept working.
And she earned her GED.
For Deborah, that accomplishment changed more than her educational status. It changed the possibilities she was willing to consider.
With her GED completed, Deborah decided to face another fear: she applied to The University of Akron.
Then an employment opportunity followed.
With assistance from Paul Crosby at Project Learn, Deborah began working at the university as an assistant building services worker.
She maintains assigned spaces, handles light maintenance, and helps with other responsibilities as needed. She enjoys the independence of her night-shift position and the time it gives her to think, brainstorm, and consider new ideas.
It was a future she hadn't always been able to picture.
“The world had never looked so open and available to me before.”
— Deborah
That sense of possibility has stayed with her.
Since earning her GED, Deborah says one of the things she is proudest of is becoming more willing to try something unfamiliar.
“I was able to get out of my way to let something new in, to embrace the unknown ahead of me.”
— Deborah
She continues to push herself, become more organized, and take chances on opportunities that might move her forward.
And she doesn't pretend that earning a GED suddenly completed her story.
“I haven’t gone far, but from where I come it truly means everything to me,” she said.
Deborah wanted to share her experience because she hopes it reaches someone who is still wondering whether returning to school is possible.
Maybe life interrupted their education. Maybe they have been away from a classroom for years. Maybe they're simply unsure where to begin.
Deborah understands.
Her advice?
“It ain’t never too late.”
— Deborah
“Do not let a stumbling block stop you from doing something to put you ahead,” she said. “Keep going, and stay focused on you. Stay focused on your goal.”
Years after leaving school without a diploma, Deborah earned her GED and began seeing possibilities she hadn't seen before.
Now she wants someone else to see them, too.
“I am your #1 supporter to keep going!!”
— Deborah
Returning to school while raising a family gave Jemonte more options and opened a path from his GED to college, a CDL, and a new career.
“You can always create a new beginning for yourself.”
— Jemonte
Jemonte Stallworth was working, raising a family, and thinking about his future when he realized he wanted more options.
He felt stagnant in the workforce. Going back to school offered a way forward, but earning his GED wasn't something he was doing only for himself.
His mother motivated him. So did his children.
Returning to school as a husband and father, however, was very different from being a student the first time around.
Jemonte had to balance studying with responsibilities at home. Being back in the classroom also gave him a new perspective on an opportunity he hadn't fully appreciated when he was younger.
“You realize how simple things were the first go around in school,” he said.
This time, Jemonte was ready for it.
Earning his GED gave Jemonte what he had been looking for: more options.
But personally, the accomplishment meant something even bigger.
“It reminded me that life had not passed me by.”
— Jemonte
That realization was followed by something tangible.
With his GED, Jemonte was accepted into Stark State College. While there, he interviewed for a position with METRO RTA.
One opportunity was beginning to lead to another.
He earned his commercial driver's license—a milestone he considers his proudest accomplishment since completing his GED—and became a bus driver for METRO.
Driving a bus puts Jemonte in front of people every day.
Some faces are new. Others become familiar.
For Jemonte, that human connection is one of the best parts of the job.
“What I enjoy most is putting smiles on new and familiar faces.”
— Jemonte
His route to that driver's seat had started with a decision to give himself more choices.
The GED opened the way to college. College became connected to an employment opportunity. His CDL gave him another professional credential.
But Jemonte hasn't stopped at the driver's seat.
He's already working toward something else.
Jemonte is currently in the process of becoming a personal trainer.
He doesn't know exactly where every opportunity will take him, but his experience has changed the way he thinks about starting something new.
That is also what he wants another adult considering a return to school to understand.
“You can always create a new beginning for yourself. It’s never over until you quit.”
— Jemonte
For Jemonte, the new beginning wasn't one dramatic moment.
It was deciding he wanted more options.
It was returning to school while raising a family.
It was earning his GED.
Then college.
Then his CDL.
Then a job that puts him in touch with his community every day.
And now, another goal is already taking shape.
Life hadn't passed Jemonte by.
There was still plenty of road ahead.
When his previous credentials weren’t recognized in the United States, Andres found another way forward through his GED, professional certification, and a new career path.
“I needed a new path to continue my education and move forward.”
— Andres
Andres already had an academic background when he arrived in the United States. What he didn't have was a way to use it.
He discovered that the credentials he had earned in his home country weren't accepted, leaving him unsure how he could continue his education.
“It was difficult to find a place where I could continue my studies,” Andres said. “Without recognized educational credentials, many opportunities were out of reach.”
The answer he eventually found wasn't to abandon his education.
It was to take a different route.
That route brought Andres to Project Learn, where he began working toward his GED.
He moved through the process quickly, but that didn't make it effortless.
“It required dedication and hard work, but completing my GED gave me confidence and showed me that I could achieve my goals when given the right opportunity and support.”
— Andres
For Andres, earning the credential mattered because of what it allowed him to do next.
He could continue his education.
And he did.
After earning his GED, Andres enrolled in a course to become a certified medical interpreter.
He completed the certification and found work as an interpreter.
One step had created access to another.
“Education has opened many doors for me.”
— Andres
Andres continued working as an interpreter while pursuing other opportunities for professional growth. More recently, he shared that he is in training and balancing the demands of his current job responsibilities.
Looking back, the progression is clear to him: GED, professional certification, employment, and continued career development.
“I am most proud of earning my GED and using it as a foundation to become a certified interpreter and build a successful career path in the United States,” he said.
His GED wasn't where his education ended.
It gave him a way to keep going.
There is another part of Andres's experience that has stayed with him.
It isn't about a class, test, or certification.
It's about how he remembers being treated.
“Throughout my career, I have had many jobs, but I have never been treated with as much respect, kindness, and support as I was at Project Learn.”
— Andres
Andres remembers the people behind that experience by name: Marquita Mitchell, Paul Crosby, Edna Moore, Jackie, and Myra Walker.
“They all helped me so much and made my life much better,” he said.
For someone who had struggled to find a place where he could continue his education, that support mattered.
Andres now has his GED, a professional certification, experience working as an interpreter, and a career that continues to develop.
The path wasn't the one he originally expected.
But it gave him somewhere to go next.
Andres knows there are other adults wondering what to do when the path they expected doesn't work out.
His advice is straightforward.
“Take the first step and don't give up.”
— Andres
Education, he says, can create opportunities that once seemed out of reach.
His own story started with needing another way forward.
He found one.
