Self-doubt. Uncertainty. Apprehension.
Before starting High School Equivalency preparation classes, Cheyenne McCoy of Cherokee felt all those emotions.
She then conquered them – with the help of Southwestern Community College’s College and Career Readiness instructors.
“I had to leave high school in my senior year because I got really sick, and I had missed too many days,” McCoy recalled. “I just never went back. But I have a five-year-old now … so I figured for my daughter (named Pepper), I’d just go back and get it and show her that even if you mess up, it’s not too late.”
McCoy certainly proved that point on the evening of Thursday, July 12, as she joined 26 others who walked across the stage of SCC’s Burrell Conference Center to accept their High School Equivalency credentials.
Eight graduates were honored for earning their English Language Acquisitions Pathways certificate, and one received an Adult High School Diploma.
“We are extremely proud of Cheyenne and all these graduates who came back to school,” said Kay Wolf, who oversees SCC’s College and Career Readiness department. “Every single one of them has overcome challenges in their past, and they all have a brighter future because of what they’ve accomplished here. For most – if not all – of them, this is only the beginning of their educational journey as they will all benefit from earning a college degree as well.”
Now 29, McCoy exceeded her own expectations and excelled in all areas of the High School Equivalency exams.
“I actually thought it would be harder because I always had this vision of myself not being as smart as everyone else,” McCoy said. “I thought it would be so much harder. But I felt like I actually retained a lot of it (what she’d learned in high school), and I was very, very proud that I did as well as I did.”
McCoy’s goal now is to continue her education at SCC, earn a college degree and eventually land a job with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Another graduate honored at the event was Josh Hall, who lives in the Savannah community. He struggled with staying focused in high school and eventually dropped out at age 17.
But after being diagnosed with – and upon receiving treatment for – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as an adult, Hall enrolled in SCC’s High School Equivalency classes.
“The teachers have been real good,” said Hall, who’s now 37 and hopes his accomplishment will inspire his five children. “Even after hours, anytime I needed to communicate with my instructors, they were good at that.”
Like Hall, Jennifer Pollard of Bryson City completed her High School Equivalency roughly two decades after dropping out of high school.
Though the math portion caused her a lot of apprehension, she persevered thanks in large part to the support of instructor Shirley Grant.
“I was terrified I was going to fail, but my instructor was very, very supportive,” Pollard said. “She pushed me to go ahead and take the math test. I did it, and I was just sure I had failed. It was the hardest thing I’d ever done, but I actually passed with flying colors.”
And like all her fellow graduates, she celebrated her success with family and friends at SCC.
For more information about Southwestern’s High School Equivalency, English Language Acquisition and Adult High School Diploma, visit www.southwesterncc.edu, write to d_wilson@southwesterncc.edu or call 828.339.4272.
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| Cheyenne McCoy of Cherokee (left) accepts her High School Equivalency from Dr. Thom Brooks, SCC’s Executive Vice President for Instruction and Student Services, on Thursday, July 12, in the Burrell Building at SCC in Sylva. |
