A Quick Favor and a Graduation Story Worth Sharing

I don’t know about you, but graduation stories get me every time.

Maybe it’s the smiles. Maybe it’s the proud families. Maybe it’s the tears of joy.  Maybe it’s knowing the obstacles many adult learners have overcome to reach that moment. Whatever it is, graduation season always reminds me why adult education is such meaningful work and why I have the passion I do for our work.

Before you dive into today’s featured story, I have a quick favor to ask. If you haven’t completed the IAACE Membership Survey yet, would you take a few minutes to share your thoughts? Your feedback helps us plan professional development, strengthen member benefits, advocate for adult education, and make sure we’re focusing on what matters most to you.

Now, whether you caught this article in last week’s newsletter or are seeing it for the first time, I think you’ll enjoy it. It’s a beautiful reminder that behind every diploma is a story of determination, courage, and hope.

So take a moment to complete the survey, then settle in and enjoy this celebration of adult learner success. I have a feeling it might remind you why you do this work, too.

Membership Survey Link

When Tears Turn To Triumph
By David Shepherd

Wednesday, June 3 marked our program’s 29th graduation since I began working in adult education. The names and stories change, but the feeling we all feel at graduation never grows old. Each year, I am reminded of why we do this: we change lives. Simple.

Our NEO Adult Education & Training program’s graduates who participate in our graduation ceremony do so with our high school programs’ graduates, each wearing the same blue Options school colors. No difference.

The message is clear: We don’t acknowledge any difference between earning a high school diploma and earning an HSE. No separate graduation ceremonies. I’m not sure how common the practice is, as I’m not sure how common it is to have a public charter high school operating in the other half of the building simultaneously.

I am traditionally called upon to select our program’s adult ed speaker; it was almost instantly clear who my choice should be: Tyrus Smith, a man who told us how he became a 45-year-old graduate.

One year ago, he could no longer contain his secret. After attending several high school open houses, he tearfully called his wife from work to tell her the truth, fearful that she would reject him once she knew he didn’t have a high school diploma. On the contrary, she was understanding and supportive of his intention to attend NEO Adult Education & Training here in Region 1’s Portage.

Tyrus’s story took an unexpected turn, one that would once again test his determination and ability to persevere. He passed four sections, not five.

Math, that infamous thorn to so many, brought Tyrus to tears. He allowed himself to be temporarily disappointed, but he quickly pivoted to attacking his weakness. Two weeks later, he was ready to retest in math. The second time, he conquered it.

I could hear Tyrus’s jubilant shout when he was a safe distance from the test room, but he wasn’t done. With his high school equivalency in hand, he applied for his dream job as a steelworker. He got the job, and, to quote Tyrus in his graduation speech, “I’ve never been happier.” On this day, the tears were finally tears of joy.