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Media Release

Ceremony to Honor Regional GED Graduates

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell has recognized October 15-19 as GED and Career Pathways Awareness Week in the Commonwealth. This year’s Regional GED Graduation Ceremony and Celebration, sponsored by Thomas Jefferson Adult and Career Education (TJACE), will honor 160 GED graduates from Charlottesville, Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson counties (Planning District 10) on Tuesday, October 23 at 7 p.m. at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing Arts Center at Charlottesville High School. The Keynote Speaker will be Juandiego Wade, Vice Chair of the Charlottesville City School Board.  

According to the American Community Survey, there are over 23,000 adults without a high school diploma in Planning District 10. GED and Career Pathways Awareness Week seeks to highlight the importance of a well-educated workforce and the role of the GED as a high school equivalency credential that opens doors to education, training and family-sustaining wages.  GED week will emphasize the benefits of high school completion to the adult’s life as a worker, family member and citizen.  It will also demonstrate the critically important connection between education and workforce development. 

GED and Career Pathways Awareness Week Events

• October 17, 5:30 p.m., GED Test at the Adult Learning Center
• October 18, 8:30 a.m. GED Test at Virginia Workforce Center
• October 19, 8:30 a.m. GED Test at the Adult Learning Center
• October 23, 7:00 p.m. Regional GED Graduation Ceremony and Celebration, Martin Luther King, Jr. Performing Arts Center at Charlottesville High School.

A few GED graduates will share their stories at the Regional GED Graduation Ceremony.

2012 GED Graduate Speakers:

Tracey Bradshaw has worked as a certified nursing assistant for 30 years. She is a mother of 8 and has 16 grandchildren.  Tracey decided to earn her GED at a time when her youngest son was having difficulty in school and says, “My going to school helped him to finish school.” Tracey took GED classes at the Virginia Workforce Center and notes “my teacher made me feel like I could do it”.  Tracey is interested in continuing her education and working with children with autism.  

Edgar Fonseca completed high school in Mexico. He came to the United States as an adult and wanted to secure an education that would be recognized here. Edgar studied for his GED at the Greene County Technical Center.  He was employed in construction for several years before starting his current job doing landscaping and maintenance for a large farm in Albemarle County. He enjoys nature and being outdoors but with his GED, he is exploring medical professions for his future.

Jamie Rush Jamie completed her GED in June and hasn’t stopped since. In August, she began her college career at PVCC.  She is taking prerequisites in order to enter PVCC’s new Culinary Arts Program next fall.  Jamie says that her children made her want to get her GED and that the GED “gave me the motivation to pursue a career, not just a job.”

Angela Nebel is a native of Chile and has lived and traveled in several foreign countries, observing that “education is always a priority in the life of people” no matter where they live.  Angela completed high school in Chile, but later discovered that there were gaps in her education and also wanted to improve her English speaking and comprehension. Angela took classes at the Adult Learning Center and found that some subjects, such as math, were easier for her as a more mature learner.  Angela volunteers for a health advocacy group in the local Latino community and is spreading the word about the benefits of earning a GED. 

Padam Adhikari took advantage of a workplace GED class offered through his job at the University of Virginia.  He is originally from Bhutan where he was a math and science teacher for 5 years.  Upon coming to the United States he first took English as a Second Language classes at the Adult Learning Center.  Padam is making plans to continue his education at PVCC and is interested in becoming an Emergency Medical Technician.

About the GED

• The General Educational Development Credential (GED ®) opens doors for many adults in our community.  The GED tests measure mastery of the skills and general knowledge acquired in a four-year high school education. The GED is a battery of five tests (writing, math, reading, science and social studies) and is accepted as equivalent to a high school diploma by over 97% of businesses and colleges.
• The GED Testing Service will introduce a new more rigorous computer based GED Test in January 2014.  Students have 15 months to complete their testing on the current version in order to avoid starting over with the new GED test.
• GED classes are offered by Thomas Jefferson Adult and Career Education, (TJACE), a new regional partnership between Charlottesville City Schools and Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Nelson and Louisa County school divisions. 
• The unemployment rate is 14.19% for those who lack a high school credential (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011).
• An adult with a high school credential earns on average $568,000 more than an adult without a credential over the course of a lifetime (GED Testing Service).

 

 

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