BC3, Summit GED recipients celebrate new beginnings
Teal Gamblin’s hard work helped him triumph in obtaining his GED after years of battling drug addiction and life decisions he said he regrets and had to overcome.
He now plans to attend Slippery Rock University.
“I had doubt. I didn’t think I’d be able to do it,” Gamblin said. “Then I passed my first exam. A week later, I passed my second exam. Finally I obtained my GED. It felt good. I like that feeling.”
Twenty-six Butler County Community College and Summit Academy students ranging in age from 19 to 52 celebrated at the Succop Theater on BC3’s campus Tuesday, Aug. 5, after being awarded their general education development diploma.
The students were part of BC3’s adult literacy program, which includes instructional services designed to prepare students for their GED exams.
Gamblin, a Summit Academy student, said, in addition to his life struggles, he wasn’t always focused or driven to succeed in school when he was a child.
“It’s been rough,” Gamblin said. “I burnt a lot of bridges with my family and I didn’t think I’d ever get to a point where I’d be speaking on a stage to a crowd of friends, loved ones, graduates.”
Gamblin’s mom, stepfather, aunt and cousin cheered him on along with BC3 faculty as he received his GED.
“It’s a challenge and it’s something a lot of people maybe look down on,” Gamblin said. “It isn’t easy. Those tests are difficult.”
Previously, Gamblin said he could not have seen himself wanting to go to college. He now plans on attending Slippery Rock University after being accepted for the coming school year.
The students celebrating= included some who recently dropped out of high school, as well as those who are parents and have been out of school for years.
Family members and children cheered on the students as they walked down the stage with their new diplomas.
Alexandria Cranmer, a BC3 student and mother, said she was driven to obtain her diploma by her two daughters.
Cranmer said when she was younger, she didn’t see the benefit of going to school, eventually dropping out her senior year.
“As time passed, there were multiple times where I said I was going to get my GED, just to give up due to the lack of confidence in myself,” Cranmer said.
Fast forward to 2023 and Cranmer gained motivation after having her first daughter. She told herself she would complete her diploma for her and was able to work with her teachers to study, and eventually pass, her GED exam.
“I wanted to show my family and set an example for my children that I could accomplish and achieve the goal that I set for myself,” Cranmer said.
Cranmer said she hopes to attend nursing school and continue showing her daughter “you can do anything you want as long as you keep trying and keep moving forward and never give up.”
Bill Foley, BC3’s communications coordinator, pointed to job statistics as proof of evidence for a GED giving students a new opportunity. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, median weekly earnings go up from $730 to $930 once a high school-equivalent diploma is achieved, while unemployment goes down from 6.2% to 4.2%.
“I was able to get it in about four months. I took a year gap after dropping out and I came right back to it with friends and family of mine encouraging me,” BC3 student Ace Myers said. “I’m really glad I was able to give myself more opportunity.”
County Commissioner Kim Geyer, one of the speakers at the graduation ceremony Tuesday night, highlighted the importance of local residents being able to obtain their GED and giving them a pathway to opportunity. Her mother, who received her GED 50 years ago, was able to get a job as an administrative assistant and eventually an office manager.
“At 12 years old, I didn’t really understand other than she kept saying, ‘I’m going back to school. I’m going to receive my diploma.’ She said, ‘This is a new beginning for me,’ and it truly was,” Geyer said.
Megan Coval, BC3’s president, told students that in a society that celebrates firsts — first steps, first birthdays, first jobs, first days of schools, first loves; it’s also important to celebrate new beginnings too, something that can happen after life has gotten complicated, “and real.”
“While I don’t know the specific details of all of your journeys, I know many of you did not walk an easy road to get here,” Coval said. “Some of you were told, either directly or indirectly, that this wasn’t possible, that this might not be for you. You came anyways, you kept showing up and that’s what we’re celebrating tonight.”
