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Accelerated High School Equivalency program continues to gain momentum

2019-11-15
Female instructor assist young female student working on a laptop.
From left, SCC Instructor Robin Weber provides academic assistance to Emma Hull of Cherokee.

Southwestern Community College is about changing lives. That change knows no limits, no boundaries and this is especially evident in the lives of students who come through the College and Career Readiness (CCR) program.

One such student is Emma Hull, who was expelled from Cherokee High School at an early age and became a single mother at only 16 years old. She now has four children and is raising them with the help of her parents.

Hull, a Cherokee native, is part of the Mother Town Healing Program that is offered through the Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO) and has enrolled in a High School Equivalency Boot Camp through SCC.

Each semester, CCR hosts boot camps that allow participants to earn their high school equivalency diplomas in just over a month. Over six weeks, students attend class from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. on Monday through Friday. Upon passing five tests, participants are able to graduate and complete their high school credentials.

“The Boot Camp is a new educational model here at SCC,” said Kay Wolf, College and Career Readiness Director.
“Our goal is to interest those former students who had to drop out because ‘life happened,’ and they were unable to complete their high school equivalencies.”

TERO assists clients with employability skills, mentoring, mental health services and job placement with the possibility of a one-year internship. Through their Mother Town Healing Program, clients are provided with different avenues to reintegrate into society and must be enrolled in a recovery program and sober for 90 days
in order to be considered for the services that are provided. Clients are strongly encouraged to obtain their high school equivalency diploma.

Hull credits both her parents and Mother Town Healing for giving her the push she needed.

“The program at SCC is very structured, which I love. I need someone behind me telling me to just ‘do it’,” says Hull.
“Our teacher, Robin Weber, helps us so much. She breaks the material down step by step. If we need anything, she’s here for us.”

 

Young man bent over at a desk working hard on coursework.
Richard George of Cherokee, a student in CCR's High School Equivalency program. 

Hull says TERO, her parents and her children are her biggest motivators to keep going. In the TERO program, she is currently ranked as a “participant” and wants to become an “intern.” Most jobs on the Cherokee Indian Reservation require “intern” status. To achieve that, she needs her high school equivalency diploma.

“I’m also doing this for my children. I don’t want them to drop out of school. I want to be an inspiration to them,” says Hull. “I told my son that before he gets out of school this year, I’m going to have my diploma one way or another.”

Richard George, also a native of Cherokee, comes to the CCR program this fall looking to turn over a new leaf. George struggled heavily with drug addiction for 11 years and spent over three years in jail. He is currently in recovery and wants to inspire others.

He strives to open an all-inclusive rehabilitation center, focusing on a wide range of addiction and mental health issues. He says the first step to accomplishing this dream is to obtain his high school credentials, and that the program at SCC is a perfect fit for him.

“I love that it’s fast paced and very structured. I’m excited and ready to finally get this done,” says George. “Ms. Weber is also wonderful. She’s super informative, explains everything thoroughly and is genuinely nice. There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll finish the program. I truly don’t mind coming to school each day.”

According to CCR Instructor Robin Weber, her students inspire her just as much as she inspires them.

“I love the program because I love my students! They have been beaten down by life, and they need encouragement to know they can finish their education and accomplish their career goals,” says Weber. “There are lots of barriers facing these students, which makes it difficult for them to attend school on a regular basis. The format of this program is great for them, and I’m excited to see the program continue to grow.”

The pilot High School Equivalency Boot Camps served 22 community members, many of whom walked across the commencement stage on July 11. As more people in the community learn about the program, that number is expected to increase substantially.

The Career and College Readiness program offers high school equivalency in both Macon and Jackson Counties. The next bootcamp will be held at the Macon Annex from Feb. 18 - March 27. Another bootcamp will be offered on SCC’s Jackson Campus from April 6 - May 15.

For more information on SCC’s High School Equivalency program, contact Wolf at k_wolf@southwesterncc.edu or 828.339.4262.

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