In the spring of 2005, I went to DES for cash assistance and food stamps. My case manager told me that I had an option: go to school or find a job. I tried finding a job before I came to the LEARN program. The jobs weren’t working out, and my mom wanted me to go to school.
LEARN is teaching me a lot, more than I knew. I like all of the teachers. It is easier than I thought it was going to be. I love working on the computers instead of working from my folder. I like the reading and math programs, and my reading has improved.
A GED will make a big difference to me. It will help me out financially and academically. I want to be a veterinarian when I get my GED. I’ve always wanted to
work with animals and nothing’s going to stop me.
My high school experience sucked. There was a lot of problems that were happening. My mom was on the run, I had a baby at fifteen, and it was really hard. I went back to school for maybe a month. They skipped me up grades. I never finished sixth-grade and I went to ninth. I was lost.
The hardest part of not having a GED is employment. The only jobs I can get are in fast food, and I don’t want to be flipping burgers for the rest of my life. It’s not going to get me far or pay for anything. What’s it going to help, especially when I have two kids? It’s really hard not to have a GED.