Struggling in high school because she was a teen mom with no childcare, Michelle B. dropped out her junior year.  She first came to RSU #54 Adult Education in 2005. Initially, Michelle pursued her GED.  Because she is not a strong test taker, however, she found the high-stakes high school equivalency exams an insurmountable obstacle.

In 2010, Michelle followed the advice of the Adult Ed director and opted to pursue an SAHS diploma.  Despite her struggles in high school, Michelle had made good progress and was only a few classes shy of graduating, so she began the long process of earning her missing credits.

An English and history class were first in 2010. The pressures of marriage and raising children forced her to put academics on hold for a long while, but Michelle eventually returned to class in 2018, earning another English credit in 2019, American Government in 2020, and, lastly, science in 2021.

Despite working full time, raising two daughters as a single mom, grappling with the unexpected death of her own mother, and dealing with the disruption of a global pandemic, Michelle found time for her education.  She proudly joined many other Adult Education graduates for our June 9 ceremony.

Michelle did it for herself, but—even more importantly—she did it for her daughters.  In an essay written for her most recent English class, she explained that she wanted to show her children that if they are willing to work hard, anything is possible.  She wrote:

“Even if their dreams change ten times, as their mother I’ll always tell them they can be anything they want. Always, forever, I believe in my kids.”

Congratulations, Michelle!  Your experience testifies to the importance of diligence and determination as we pursue our goals.

This article was provided by RSU 54 as part of the Maine Schools Sharing Success Campaign. To submit a story or an idea email it to Rachel at rachel.paling@maine.gov