For many years, the prospect of pursuing a High School Equivalency diploma was simply intimidating for George DeWitt.
He works full-time, has a family and also leads a church. With free time and energy in short supply, DeWitt kept putting the dream of earning his diploma on the back-burner.
Then one day last fall, the 56-year-old Waynesville resident called Heather Stephan in Southwestern Community College’s College & Career Readiness (CCR) department. She helped him get enrolled in preparatory classes, and he soon passed all the necessary exams.
On Jan. 11, DeWitt received his High School Equivalency diploma while being cheered on by family and friends during a small ceremony on SCC’s Jackson Campus.
“Right now, I have that victory,” said DeWitt, who works at Haywood Vocational Opportunities and also serves as Pastor of Camp Branch Freewill Baptist Church in Waynesville. “I have completed my (High School Equivalency), and that’s something very personal for me. When I look at my wife (Sherry), my children, my grandchildren, I know that I can be proud of what I accomplished. I appreciate this college and all the people here who helped me because without that, I wouldn’t have achieved my goals.”
A total of 18 students earned their High School Equivalency diplomas during the fall semester, and Southwestern’s CCR department is now offering a “Fast Track GED” option to make it even easier this spring for more to achieve their dreams – just like DeWitt and the other fall graduates.
The “Fast Track GED” program starts Feb. 12 with classes meeting from 9 a.m.-noon on Mondays through Thursdays. Class attendance is mandatory with the final meeting set for March 14.
“We are so proud of George and all of our other fall graduates because we know how hard they worked,” said Devonne Jimison, SCC’s College and Career Readiness Director. “We set up the ‘Fast Track GED’ option to try and make the prospect of pursing this diploma less overwhelming. In just one month, students can be fully prepared to take and pass their tests.”
For more information about “Fast Track GED” and to register, contact Heather Stephan – the same person who helped DeWitt get started – at h_stephan@SouthwesternCC.edu or 828.339.4272.
