Dressed in black caps and gowns, 60 graduates of the GED program at the Thorn Hill Learning Center got their diplomas - and a new start - in a ceremony Thursday.
In all, 114 adults received GEDs from Frankfort-Franklin County Community Education this year. The graduates who participated in Thursday’s ceremony were honored with awards, scholarships and applause from a packed crowd of family and friends.
“Nobody does this alone,” said Mike Rosenstein, executive director of the center.
At age 55, Thurman Newsom was the oldest to graduate, and the last of his siblings to earn a diploma. His mother, who is 85, was there Thursday to cheer him on.
Newsom quit school in the eighth grade, moved to Frankfort and got a job at the Bendix brake plant. He stayed there until the company left Frankfort in 2007.
Suddenly, he was out of work and without a high school diploma.
“Here I am, with all this experience, and no GED,” he told the audience.
In January of 2008, he started at Thorn Hill.
“They put stuff in this hard head I didn’t even know could get in there,” Newsom said. “I did math I’d never seen when I went to school.”
He finished 10 months later, but in the midst of a down economy, decided to go to college instead of pursuing full-time work. He and his brother enrolled together, and in their first semester, Newsom says they each earned a 3.5 GPA.
“When you help me, you don’t just help me,” he said. “You help my wife, you help my grandkids – you help everything.”
Carolyn Wainscott dropped out of school in the ninth grade. She said she pursued a GED several times, but got frustrated and quit each time.
But in 2007, she started again, balancing her class work with two jobs.
“I’ve always dreamed of this moment, standing here in a cap and gown, achieving my GED,” she said in the building where she started her education, as a student at Thorn Hill Elementary.
Colleges and employers recognize the GED as the equivalent of a high school diploma. According to Kentucky Adult Education, it’s earned after successful completion of a five-part test in social studies, science, literature, writing and math.
Frankfort-Franklin County Community Education offers free preparation classes, and it serves as a testing center.
According to the Council on Postsecondary Education, Kentucky had an 11 percent increase in GED graduates from fiscal year 2007 to 2008. It was the largest growth in seven years, the council said.
2008/2009 GED graduates
Karla Azofeifa
De Shawn J. Barnett
JennaRose Bartley
Michael A. Best
Hayleigh B. Black
Aaron J. Boatwright
Brooke Y Boll
Antonio D. Bolling
Brandon S. Bowen
Ashley N. Broughton
Hope M. Broughton
Angela L. Brown
Ashley B. Bryant
Courtney M. Bryant
David H. Butler
Kisha N. Campbell
Mary A. Campbell
Megan D. Carey
Larry W. Carman
Christina R. Carpenter
Marilyn Cirillo
Mariah T. Clark
Shannon R. Collins
Joshua S. Conway
Christina L. Cook
Teresa F. Cook
Kristen A. Cooper
Susanne B. Cordobes
Ashton D. Corn
Patricia Cox
Natasha R. Cummins
Sandra N. Curtis
Travis Devers
Lisa R. Dews
Shay R. Dobson
John W. Ethington
David L. Gabbard
Dylan H. George
Taylor B. Giles
Brandon J. Goode
Brandi N. Graham-Jones
Conner Gray
Cathy S. Green
Cameron T. Hagy
Ashley S. Hall
Maria G. Herrera
Rogelio Herrera Jr.
Rogelio Herrera Sr.
Rafael S. Hieatt
Deborah G. Hill
Matthew R. Hockensmith
Charles C. Hopper
Treva Huspon
Christopher A. Hutcheson
David A. Jockers
Kelly Johnson
Leah D. Johnson
Jordana M. Jones
Megan K. Kinslow
Robert W. Kinslow
Robert D. Lawhon III
Frank W. Lineweaver
Amy M. Marston
Joshua S. Martin
John T. Mathus
Jordan W. McGuire
Jonathan Miles
Kimberly J. Miller
Courtney M. Mitchell
Erin P. Mitchell
Thurman M. Newsom
Samantha A. Norris
Joseph M. Peyton
Kenna J. Porter
Michael R. Powell Sr.
Walter E. Price
Jamie A. Reneer
Cliftina B. Reyes
Heather N. Roberts
Miranda J. Roberts
Arturo Rodriguez
Carmen J. Rodriguez
Tabatta P. Rodriguez
Matthew A. Rudd Sr.
Matthew A. Rutherford
Ashby S. Sanderson
Philip R. Shows Jr.
Katarina A. Simpson
Diana M. Smith
Jennifer S. Smith
Logan A. Smith
Heather N. St. John
Aaron W. Sullivan
Nicholas H. Sutherland
Christopher R. Swan
Gary L. Sweet
Ashley M. Templeton
Caleb J. Thomas
Amanda E. Thompson
Kyle A. Tracy
Tony A. Traylor
Carolyn M. Wainscott
Chailee Wainscott
Danny L. Wallace
Shawn D. Watson
Kristin M. Wethington
Jeffrey A. Wheat
Aaron K. Wilson
John W. Wilson
Zachery L. Winans
Keomie S. Wright
April J. Wynn
Oscar Zavala-Mosqueda
All names provided by Frankfort/Franklin County Community Education.