Speaker: Mickeel W.
What led you to leave high school as a teen? What motivated you to go back to high school at this time in your life?
Mickeel W.: What led me to fall out of school was because I had kids. I had to pay some bills. School wasn't really getting it for me. But once I got out of Arkansas, I got married, I got a house, I decided to get something under my belt. I said, you know what, I'm going to finish school and Graduation Alliance was there for me through the whole way. It made me succeed in the things that I wanted to do and it's becoming a social worker, helping people and on my community and just helping teens out of violence and bullying and just abuse, just trying to be a counselor for the kids. And Graduation Alliance was the first step I had to take for me to follow my career. And it's been great. I love it. The teachers was great and they was there with you every step of the way. If you needed help, the support team was there for you, counselors called every day. It was very great. So, in my experience, Graduation Alliance is the key if you decided to drop out of school.
Why did you choose this program?
Mickeel W.: I chose the program because it kept popping up on my Facebook. It kept popping up on my Instagram, my Twitter. So I feel like that it was a sign. I took the sign, I signed up, and I got my diploma. I'd say less than six months, I believe. Yeah, less than six months.
What parts of the program helped you make it to graduation?
Mickeel W.: The part of the program that helped me graduate was the part when the teachers was steady being engaged, they uplift you. It was just the teachers for me. They motivated me to keep going, keep pushing, don't give up cause I had plenty of times I just want to say quit it. I just want to quit. But the teachers was there for me, put the whole step of the way and that part of the program that really helped.
How has your life and/or mindset changed since earning your high school diploma? What are your plans now that you've graduated?
Mickeel W.: My mindset now has expanded drastically. I'm very more open. I'm very more to be engaged in academic stuff. I'm now at UMA, Ultimate Medical Academy for social work. I'm trying to get my associates. My plans is to maintain an office, help kids get out of foster care, put kids in a good home and stuff like that and just want to make a difference in life.
What's one piece of encouragement you'd offer someone who is considering this program?
Mickeel W.: The one piece of encouragement that I can give you is to keep going, keep pushing, keep striving. Know that you're doing this for a reason and that reason is for you. Don't nobody else need this but you. And we as Black American people, some don't finish high school and stuff like that, so we as a community has to come together to help so we can't get that goal, that piece of paper, that means a lot. And I have it on my desk. I see it every day and I'm proud of it.
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