For nearly a year, Madison was in and out of the hospital. And by the time she was able to return to school on a regular basis, she had fallen badly behind in her studies. “It was a very stressful point in my life,” she said. “I was coming to realize that all my friends
Olathe, Kansas Apr 12, 2021 — An Olathe mother of four is taking the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and turning them around to achieve a life-long goal. Kelly Morse, 36, is about one week away from earning her high school diploma. She left school when she was pregnant with her son, Jordan. “I just
The further Grace fell behind in school, the worse her mental health issues seemed to become. And the worse those issues became, the further she fell behind. “I had kind of given up,” Grace said. Grace’s school counselor knew that Grace was smart, capable and hard-working. She simply needed another path. That’s why the counselor
Alyssa was on the cusp of dropping out and figured a GED would be fine. But when a college counselor explained to her the big differences between a GED and a high school diploma, Alyssa set to work trying to find an online high school where she could finish the requirements for her diploma while
Rayschelle was proud when her sister earned a high school diploma, but the experience of seeing a younger sibling graduate reminded her that she needed to address some unfinished business. “I dropped out my senior year after I got pregnant, and I always knew I needed to go back to be a good example for
Pike County, Jan 12, 2021 – With no choice but to drop out of school at the age of 16 more that 20 years ago, Paula (Moore) Rittenhouse can now say she has her Waverly High School diploma, just like the rest of her classmates who completed their coursework. With her husband, Ricky, watching, Rittenhouse
Diego had dreams of becoming a photographer. But in his sophomore year in high school, he was forced to leave school so that he could work to support his mother and younger brother. “My mom always wanted me to finish high school, so it was something I wanted to look after,” he said. “After a
Nobody tried to talk Staci out of leaving school before earning a diploma. And even if they had, she probably would have left anyway. She knew what it felt like to grow up without the support of her parents, and she didn’t want her siblings to have the same experience. “I had to grow up
De’jah didn’t have far to go. But when the COVID-19 pandemic closed her school, she was suddenly missing out on the support she was relying on to keep moving toward her graduation goal. “Honestly, I just wasn’t doing my work,” she said. “As soon as I started to not understand something, I felt discouraged and
The migraines began in Gracie’s junior year of high school. “It was really debilitating,” she said. “Sometimes it got so bad that I couldn’t walk and I couldn’t see straight. It made school really hard.” But Gracie didn’t want to quit. And her supporters at the Bellevue School District weren’t going to let her. “My