GRADUATES CELEBRATE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION, A FEW YEARS LATE

Last month Dianna Eldridge applied for a job, the first she's tried for in many years.

Eldridge of Advance says earning her GED gave her the confidence to look for a job.

Eldridge, a welfare recipient for more years than she'd care to admit, celebrated her high school graduation along with 124 other people who earned their high school equivalency degree through the Adult Basic Education program at the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational-Technical School. About 30 of the graduates attended the commencement ceremony Aug. 21.

The ABE program is among literacy efforts receiving funding from YELL, the annual fund-raiser for Youth, Education, Literacy and Learning. Money raised helps fund programs that help promote literacy in the area.

GED courses coordinated from the Cape Girardeau vocational school are held in six counties, Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Perry, Scott, Stoddard and Ste. Genevieve. Volunteers and teachers lead students through their studies.

Eldridge said she left high school when she decided she was smarter than her teachers. It took her a few years to change her mind.

"I figured I'd get a job and have it made," she said.

Instead, she got married, had children, got divorced and ended up on welfare. Counselors with welfare's Futures program encouraged her to enroll in the GED course.

"I didn't think I was going to like it," she said, but after attending a few classes she decided it wasn't so bad after all.

Her motivation to stick with the program was strong. She has twin teen-age boys. "Last year, I couldn't help them with their homework," Eldridge said, "and I want those boys to stay in school."

Eldridge's boys and her mother were in the packed room to see her receive the GED certificate during the graduation ceremony.

The next step for her is the work force.

"If I don't get this job I'm going to get another job, definitely," she said.

Laura Pridemore of Cape Girardeau agreed that studying for the GED exam boosted her confidence.

Pridemore left high school because she didn't think education was important.

"Twenty years later, I've changed my mind," she said.

Pridemore started classes at Southeast Missouri State University this fall. She is training to be a physical therapy assistant.

"Back then I got married, had kids and raised my kids," Pridemore said.

Her children are 12 and 15 years old. Pridemore decided it was time to be a role model for the children concerning their education. "I don't want them to drop out," she said.

Pridemore attended classes five days a week for almost a year studying for the GED test.

"This test was not easy," she said. "Once you get close to the end, it's very intense. Am I going to make it? I did."

Her success in the ABE program has given her confidence to tackle college.

"If I can do this, I think I can do just about anything," she said.