New London, Montville adult ed grads say thanks
New London - Graduates of the New London and Montville Adult Education programs received either a high school diploma or a GED Friday, but despite the range of achievements in the room, all 119 graduates seemed to share one common feeling: gratitude.
GED class speaker Stephen Campbell thanked the teachers for their "passion and patience."
"Each and every one of you make a difference, and I am proof of that," he said.
"We all have a story to tell," Campbell said as he described the journey that led him to the podium at New London High School. "Mine started 37 years ago, when I dropped out of high school. As a teenager, I thought I knew everything and school was useless. I chose the bumpy road, which proved to be very long and very hard."
Campbell described the next 37 years of his life and the many setbacks that he had to overcome, including being arrested and living on the streets for some time.
He had two daughters, Callyn and Stevie, along the way and decided to seek his GED in order to properly care for them.
"I had worked a number of construction jobs and had over 20 years of experience," he told the crowd. "The one thing my resume lacked was the 'high school graduate' credential. My experience was not enough anymore. The lack of an education was holding me back."
Betina Christian, who spoke on behalf of the high school diploma recipients, also told a story of hardships she was able to overcome.
At 16, Christian began a struggle with drugs and alcohol. She was forced to drop out of high school twice as a result of pregnancies. By the time she was 25, she was a mother of four and was battling a drug problem. But like many graduating Friday, she was able to turn her life around, get clean.
"I am a responsible woman of society," she said, to applause from the crowd. "I am a mother to my children, a grandmother, a daughter and a sister."
When Christian paused, getting choked up during her speech, a voice from the crowd yelled out, "Don't cry, Mama! You've got it," to more applause.
Cheers rang out at several times during the ceremony. Nashema Battle, 19, of New London, who was graduating with a high school diploma, explained the general excitement this way: "We all worked through this together, we coached each other through all of this. It's unreal that we're finally here."
t.mccarthy@theday.com
List of graduates
New London Adult Education 2012 high school diploma graduates:Danisha E. Acosta, Yougans Alexis, Maryalice Allen, Nashema RC Battle, Tiffany Bauer, Monique Marie Baxter, Shontell M. Beckwith, Todd L. Belcher, Lucas Mical Anton Blevins, Thomas Charles Boyle, Sheyla Mairym Burgos-Muñoz, Alexandrea Ethel Carrier, Benita Christian, Ebony M. Cluff, Ivie M. Cluff, Edwin Cruz-Droz,Andrew DeLaRosa, Jose A. Delos Santos-Nunez, MistyRose Marie Dodson-Reed, Jenetta I. Drayton, Harry John Dumond III, Courtney A. Dwyer, Joshua Fine, Luisanna Yadira Garcia, Katyle A. Gervais, Dhimitri L. Gjino, Eribart Gjonaj, Jonathan Gonzalez, Rebecca Ann Gorman,Thomas Michael Hammer, Amanda Esther Haskins, Briana Nicole Jaques, Eliesha K. Johnson, Sakina Marie Karim, Jaumaane Jordan Ladson, Zachary Ryan McClelland, Melinda McGloin, Ava McNamara, Hannah McNamara, MaryAnn Melnick, Ronald Richard Menard III, Keyla Marie Montanez, Juan J. Morales, Paola Y. Nuñez, Malik S.T. Nunn,Kensher Parkes, Michael R. Paul, Jessica S. Pedroza, Steven Perez, Sabrina Mariela Polikowski, Rafael A. Ramirez, Samantha Ramos, Marytere Rivera, Ryan Scott Sholes, Kayle Edward Snelgrove, Cindia Liz Vargas, and Danyell Maria Williams.
New London Adult Education 2012 GED graduates:Adriana Aragon, Justin W. Becker, Melanie N. Booth, Shane Boucher, Jordan Brown, Sapphyre Brown, Stephen Campbell, Jose A. Carmona, Quinten Carpenter, Valasity Cintron, James Colon, Kevin Cortijo, Eli Couture,Heather DiLeo, Nicholas Donahue, David Dozier, Susan Errami, Emily Felix, Laurentiu Feraru, Arthur C. Furtado, Brian Gannon, Katty Garcia, Domonique P. Guess, Silvio A. Guzman, Melissa Horowitz, Latoya S. Knight, Joseph Landecho,Temika A. Maddox, Perla A. Marin, Matthew A. Markham, Fabiola L. Martinez, Pinky Mazibuko, Luz Morales, Clothilde Mukawera, Vilmaris Orozco, Jeannette Paresi, Latasha Patrick, Odenis Portorreal, Lillian Ramos, Esaul Rivera, Julian Rodriguez, Luis Rodriguez, Dominique Roman, Keondre T. Rowe,Mandy Sandt, Christian Santos, Arthur Shea, Luis E. Silvasantisteban, Roxana Solis, Sheila Sot, Brittaney L. Tourtellotte, Javlyn L. Vose, Stephanie Waddington, Sharelle J. Wade, and Emma Winiarski.
Montville Adult Education 2012 high school diploma graduates:Bethany Lea Bermudez, Jesse Thomas Colella, Alexander Gregory Drozynski, Ashley Alexis George, Sarah Jane Haney, William Henry Strickland, and Nicholas E. Whitney.
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