BUTLER TWP — James Owens at 16 years old had his life planned.

After failing ninth grade at a private Christian school in the Orlando, Fla., area, he persuaded his father to let him drop out of school.

Owens, at 16, didn't want to be in class with 14-year-olds, so he was going to get his general equivalency diploma and be successful without finishing school.

However, he said, "Life doesn't work quite like that."

Once he was free, he didn't have the motivation to get a GED. There was turmoil in his house. He eventually was kicked out and worked a number of jobs before he was severely injured in 2001.

Now at 30, Owens again has his life planned.

With a wife, two children and his GED, Owens is envisioning his future. It may even include college.

Owens of Indiana, Pa., is one of about 60 people who are participating in a ceremony tonight for GED graduates at Butler County Community College. The ceremony is the first at the college and involves graduates who took classes at four county organizations.

Many of the students have inspiring stories, said Deb McAllister, adult literacy grant director at BC3.

"There is nothing typical about the students," she said.

The organizations try to reach the 22,978 county residents, 13.2 percent of all residents, who do not have their high school diploma.

In the year ending June 30, 119 people enrolled in the program.

The college is partnering with Family First Resource Center, Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV and Butler County Career T.R.A.C.K. to give a graduation-like ceremony to those who have taken the initiative and shown the courage to return classes.

Owens said it was his wife, Juanita, who gave him the support to get his GED.

Owens was living in Saxonburg when he saw a flyer about the GED preparation program at the college. At the time he was battling with the Social Security Administration to get disability benefits.

In the years that Owens was trying to make it on his own, he had taken a job as a lawn technician. While on the job, he herniated three discs in his back.

Some doctors suggested surgery; others were against it. In the meantime, he was unable to work.

The job spraying lawns for insects and treating turf wasn't his first since he quit school. His first job, as a dishwasher at Shoney's, lasted just eight months. He did some other odd jobs, but found it was harder than expected to get a job without a degree.

So, when he saw the flyer, he thought seriously.

His former employer advised against Owens getting his GED. He thought if Owens qualified as "educated," it would make his case for disability more difficult.

It was Owens' wife who encouraged him.

"She told me I was too smart not to do something with my future," he said. "She saw in me something I didn't see in myself."

He still didn't want to be in classes with people younger than he was, so in February he looked into the distance learning program at the college.

Paul Lucas, tutor coordinator at BC3, agreed to meet with Owens to help him study.

A pretest determined Owens was ready to take three parts of the five-part test. It also showed he needed to study math.

All students interested in the GED program at BC3 take a pretest so instructors can tailor the curriculum to the student.

Sometimes students who take the test show they are ready for the GED test, McAllister said. The college lets the students know that, giving them the confidence to register and answer the multiple-choice questions that cover reading, language skills, math, science and social studies.

Only Butler Intermediate High School offers the $60 test locally.

After the pretest, students must attend an orientation. They are told about a scholarship program that covers the cost of the test. The classes, which average eight to 10 students, are free.

Twenty-three students are in the distance education option for GED preparation at BC3. The option is a relatively new one and has been well-received, McAllister said.

Owens met with Lucas for a few hours each week. Then he would take packets of worksheets and practice questions to work on at home.

Some days he worked for half an hour. Other days he spent hours. He liked to wait until his children came home and do the work next to Jaena, 7, and Andrew, 11.

Andrew has shown significant improvement in his own school work since his father started the GED program.

"They're bringing up their grades in an incredible fashion," Owens said.

Andrew used to bring home mostly C's with a few B's. At the end of the school year, Andrew had all but one A.

Owens sees this as the reason he is improving his education at this stage in his life.

"Maybe I need to show my kids this is what it means not to give up," he said. "I want them to understand how important education is."

In three months, Lucas was confident Owens could take the final portions of the test and pass.

Lucas noticed Owens had a talent for writing and noticed his passion for it. Owens began looking at his future beyond the test.

Next week, Owens meets with a counselor to look at his options. High on his list is going to Indiana (Pa.) University to earn a degree in journalism.

But, first he had to get his high school degree.

"I prayed," he said of the day he went in for the test.

One day his wife came in with the mail with an envelope. Without opening it, she knew it contained the piece of paper Owens now wished he had earned 12 years ago.

He celebrated with a special dinner and by buying himself a new baseball video game for his Play Station II.

Even though he already has the tangible diploma in his hand, Owens is looking forward to seeing the image of him in a cap and gown in the mirror this evening.

He's also glad he'll walk across the stage. At the Succop Theater, he'll have his wife, two children, mother, step-father, father, stepmother and stepsister in the audience when he receives his certificate of achievement.

After that, he'll be able to say "OK, that completes it. That means the world to me," he said.

The college wants to make the ceremony an annual event.

For information on the GED program or other adult basic education classes, call McAllister at 724-287-8711 Ext. 8323.