Thursday, April 26, 2012
Lovin' the Mayor's Visit on April 21, 2012
On Saturday, April 21, 2012, the Northeast GED Center was honored to welcome Mayor Nutter to help us celebrate our two-year anniversary at our Cottman Avenue location. 20 GED graduates were invited back to have the Mayor sign a copy of their GED in recognition to their great accomplishment.
The Mayor was so inspiring to all of us. We also awarded five full scholarships to the Mayor for him to give out to people who were bullied out of high school. This is our way of thanking the Mayor for his stand on this horrific incident that contributes to the 7,000 high school dropouts around the country EVERY DAY. As the television commercial with basketball star Lebron James keeps reminding us, every 29 seconds a student drops out of school. We know that a substantial number of these students were bullied out of school.
The Mayor gave words of encouragement and support to all of us--both students and staff. He inspired us to continue to do our best in life because we are the future of Philadelphia.
Thank you, Mayor Nutter, for recognizing the important work that we are doing at the Northeast GED Center in preparing our students to make a difference in the future of our wonderful city.
Friday, April 13, 2012
WHAT COMES NEXT AFTER MY GED?
Each week, we get wonderful phone calls from our students who have passed the GED Test. Getting that piece of paper in their hands changes their whole outlook on life. But now what?
Most people who attend our GED program are looking forward to a "next step." They either want to start a career, change careers, find jobs, or be promoted at their job. Without the GED, that has been impossible.
Moving to the next step can be scary if you don't have guidance along the way. Sadly, people make some bad decisions about schools based on fancy advertisements in the media. As the director here at the Center, I sit with any student who is ready to take that next step and discuss what steps are needed to achieve it. I'm always happy to do vocational counseling with our students to help them achieve their goals. For instance, one young woman tole me she wanted to be a legal secretary. She was so bright and positive. I really explored with her what her real dreams were. She always wanted to be an attorney, but she believed that would be impossible. After spending several hours together, we devised a "game plan" of how to quick step over some of the schooling she would need and she enrolled in college. Now, seven years later, she is a practicing attorney. She always tells me each year at the holiday time how grateful she is to me for not allowing her to settle on a career which wasn't her goal. She just didn't know how to go about following her dream.
I am happy to work with any student who has a dream in finding the quickest and best way to get there--whether it is a career school or college.
In my next blog, I will discuss some of the things that worry students in taking those next steps--and how I, too, overcame them!
Remember--getting a diploma is just a few weeks away at the Northeast GED Center.
Bonnie Kaye, Director
Most people who attend our GED program are looking forward to a "next step." They either want to start a career, change careers, find jobs, or be promoted at their job. Without the GED, that has been impossible.
Moving to the next step can be scary if you don't have guidance along the way. Sadly, people make some bad decisions about schools based on fancy advertisements in the media. As the director here at the Center, I sit with any student who is ready to take that next step and discuss what steps are needed to achieve it. I'm always happy to do vocational counseling with our students to help them achieve their goals. For instance, one young woman tole me she wanted to be a legal secretary. She was so bright and positive. I really explored with her what her real dreams were. She always wanted to be an attorney, but she believed that would be impossible. After spending several hours together, we devised a "game plan" of how to quick step over some of the schooling she would need and she enrolled in college. Now, seven years later, she is a practicing attorney. She always tells me each year at the holiday time how grateful she is to me for not allowing her to settle on a career which wasn't her goal. She just didn't know how to go about following her dream.
I am happy to work with any student who has a dream in finding the quickest and best way to get there--whether it is a career school or college.
In my next blog, I will discuss some of the things that worry students in taking those next steps--and how I, too, overcame them!
Remember--getting a diploma is just a few weeks away at the Northeast GED Center.
Bonnie Kaye, Director
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