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.
“If I can make someone’s car better and have a smile on their face when I’m done, that’s what makes me happy.”
— Tremain
Not knowing what came next bothered Tremain Perkins.
He thought about where he might be five years down the road—what kind of work he would be doing, what direction his life might take—and not having an answer scared him.
That uncertainty helped bring him to Workforce Development | Project Learn of Summit County
Tremain saw education as an opportunity to begin figuring out what he was good at and where those skills could take him.
One of the answers came through math.
“I became a good math student,” Tremain said, “and I wanted to use my math studies to get me further.”
What began with numbers eventually became much more hands-on.
Tremain learned to read blueprints and discovered that he was good at it.
That skill introduced him to welding—the measurements, fabrication, pipe fitting, and structural work involved in putting things together correctly.
He found work that suited him.
“I began to love welding,” he said.
Tremain went on to study welding at Fortis College and continued developing his skills through work experience. Over the next four years, what he learned on the job gave him another idea.
Maybe he could build something of his own.
Tremain eventually took his technical experience and applied it to automotive repair, opening his own garage business.
Running a business brought a different kind of education.
He had to learn about business banking, financing, bills, utilities, and the day-to-day responsibilities that come with keeping an operation going.
But the part of the work Tremain talks about most enthusiastically isn't the business side.
It's fixing something for another person.
“I literally run to my job every day.”
— Tremain
For him, the satisfaction comes from working with his hands, solving a problem, and seeing the customer's reaction afterward.
“If I can make someone’s car better and have a good smile on their face when I’m done, that’s what makes me happy,” he said.
That desire to help people is also part of how Tremain thinks about his business. He sees his skills as something he can use not only to earn a living, but also to give back to his community.
Of everything Tremain has accomplished, one achievement carries particular meaning.
He became the first person in his family to graduate from college.
His path there wasn't a straight line. It moved from uncertainty about his future to discovering strengths in math, learning to read blueprints, pursuing welding and eventually putting years of technical experience to work for himself.
Now, when Tremain talks to someone who wants to build a career or business of their own, his advice comes from that experience.
Stick with it, he says. Be flexible. Be a team player.
And keep learning.
For Tremain, education became a way to turn the unknown he once worried about into skills he could actually use.
Those skills led to a trade.
The trade led to experience.
And eventually, the experience helped him build something of his own.
