1st Katrina Dalton – Central 9 Career Center, Greenwood
Support Leads to Success
Adult education is of the utmost importance! It provides an opportunity for adults of all ages to go back to school and earn their diploma. It also allows high school students, who may have fallen behind, an alternative way to earn their diploma. Because of adult education, I had the opportunity to obtain my HSE, which has allowed me to take the next step in my career path — pursuing a college degree. Without adult education programs, I would not have had the opportunity to choose a better future for myself, and I could not have done it without the amazing staff members of the adult education program I attended.
I studied extra hard throughout the process of receiving my HSE with support from Beautifully Broken Coaching and the dedicated staff members of Central Nine Adult Education. From the very first day of my orientation at Central 9, I felt supported, and all the staff had many encouraging things to say throughout my time there. The staff members take time to help students achieve their goals whether they are personal or academic. They work with students individually if needed, get to know them on a personal level, and– all together– push them to succeed at anything they want to do. Without such supportive staff members, my time there may have not been so pleasant. When I wanted to give up, their encouragement made sure I did not.
Towards the end of my classes, some of the career coaches came into class to discuss all the career path opportunities available to the students, as well as sharing their personal career paths. Everything that Central 9 offers can help any student pursue something after earning a diploma. Even if a student has not decided what career path to take, considering options can open up new doors. Coaches present these opportunities to remind the students that they can continue to move forward. Hearing the coaches’ stories truly inspired me and opened my mind to new possibilities. This is what helped me decide what my next step should be.
After I received my diploma, one of the career coaches reached out to me and asked if I would like to meet with her to discuss next steps. We talked about career paths and, even though I knew it was my goal to become a life coach, something about her experience in social work interested me. During my time with her, she shared her personal experience as a career coach and as a social worker. She also helped me fill out an application for Ivy Tech Community College, which I now attend. College was something that I never thought would happen for me, but because help was so readily available, I decided I COULD keep moving forward.
Not only do the coaches and teachers help and encourage their students during their time in the program, they continue to reach out to students after graduation. I still keep in contact with one of my career coaches from time to time. We connected from day one, and she has even been willing to write a letter of recommendation for scholarship opportunities for me. I have an ongoing support system at Central 9 encouraging me towards my future goals. I think the close connection between staff and students is important in any education program, and is the responsibility of both staff and students. Help is available if students will introduce themselves, ask questions, share a little about themselves, and get know teachers and coaches along the way.
Because of the adult education program that I attended and its dedicated staff, I am now a few steps closer to my career goal. I have earned my HSE diploma, I have chosen a career path, and am pursuing the higher education needed to begin my career. If it were not for Central 9, I would not have known what next step to take and I may have never filled out an application for college. I was challenged and encouraged throughout the entire process. I am now on my way to something bigger!
The above is the winning essay of Katrina Dalton. It is as written no changes have been made. Released by Katrina Dalton. She is a learner from Central Nine Career Center.
2nd Michael McCammack – Area 30 Career Center, Greencastle
3rd Alma Guerrero – Vincennes University, (home – Evansville)
Jenn is the IAACE Executive Director. Her passion for adult education shines through in everything she does for IAACE. You can invite her to a chat for questions anytime. Click here to book a time to chat with Jenn