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GED graduation – more than just a cap and gown
“Thank you for providing me the opportunity to obtain a better life and for giving me such a great experience here.” Julie Foster has been a Spokane resident for nearly all of her 36 years. She attended both Central Valley High School and Gonzaga Prep, but neither situation worked for her and she left school in 1987. Earning a diploma has always been a goal. In 1989, Julie began working on her GED but, unable to prepare effectively and suffering from test anxiety, she left the program. She again attempted to complete her GED in 1995. Unfortunately, she experienced similar roadblocks and again failed to complete. Read more... Learning the language“Maria,” an immigrant from Cuba, could not speak English well enough to communicate with her daughter’s school, ensure fair treatment from her landlord, or navigate the immigration process to obtain a green card. Out of necessity, her young daughter often served as an interpreter. Gail Etter (SWCSO) referred Maria to Community Jobs at Career Path Services. Yvonne Olsem, her Employment Associate, provided payment and support to help Maria with the immigration process. By then, she had started English as a Second Language and had the support of a David Brookbank, a bilingual family social worker. Since Maria had medical experience in Cuba, Yvonne found her a host site at a nursing home. She gained experience as a recreation assistant before being accepted into the NAC program. Yvonne tracked down a specialized Spanish/English dictionary to help Maria through the NAC testing and provided the necessary scrubs for work clothing. The Community Job and support services offered by Career Path Services made a world of difference for Maria. She states that she is so grateful for the support Career Path Services, DSHS and other agencies provided to help improve her life. Maria completed the NAC training and was hired for a full-time unsubsidized position by her host site. Her English is improving daily and she and her daughter are happy and stable in a new home. |
Ever wonder what happens after?
GED grad gets the job!
Pam will also be graduating with Career Path Services’ GED class of 04/05 and walking across the stage May 12th. Pam worked very hard to achieve her goals and now has a GED, a job and her driver’s license back. She also participated in a CTED Focus Group for the purpose of giving our funding source feedback on the program. Congratulations Pam! |
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Please join us for Career Path Services' annual GED graduation ceremony on Thursday, May 12th at Lewis and Clark High School. The ceremony starts at 6:45 p.m. Randy Shaw, news anchor for KREM-2 Television, and Roger Ingbretsen, leadership consultant and Spokane Area Workforce Development Council member, will be the keynote speakers. Students from all walks of life will also share how they overcame obstacles to complete their GEDs. The following is one student's story: 
Early one morning I received a phone call from a former parent in the CJ program asking if I remembered her. Of course I said "YES" - I remember ALL my awesome cases! The parent was up having coffee and thinking of all the good things happening in her life and she wanted to call and thank me. I accepted her thanks; but said it was really her hard work that has gotten her to this good place in her life. The parent shared that when Sandra Doutre (VCSO) had referred her to Community Jobs, she was lacking a GED, driver’s license and steady employment, plus was facing medical limitations. During her six months in the program the parent earned her GED, worked steadily - to the point of receiving an offer of employment - and was scheduled for her driving test. All these seemingly insurmountable goals accomplished before she turned 40! She attributes her success to her Community Job and working with caring people. I could simply reply I had faith in her and given the opportunity she would prove herself.
“Pam” was referred to Community Jobs by Barb Mooney (NCSO) and thereafter was assigned to work with Tonia Robbins and Connie Rowland. Pam was determined to create new life and be self-sufficient for herself and her family. Every time a challenge confronted Pam, she was able to work through it. She met the attendance requirements for her mandatory counseling sessions to free up more time for gaining work skills and experience in her chosen field of Medical Back Office. Pam and Delane Titus, her Employment Associate, targeted St Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute, one of Career Path Services’ premier community partners in the medical field, as a possible host site, but St. Luke’s was not accepting volunteers at that time. They were able to utilize Pam’s background in retail and placed her at the Northwest Christian School Thrift Store until a position opened up at St. Luke’s. Pam also started working towards her GED in Career Path Services’ classroom. A few months later, Pam was selected for an opening at St Luke’s as an Office Assistant. She gained transferable skills in the area of Medical Back Office as well as the MedTech system that many in the medical community use for patient management. At the suggestion of Pam’s site supervisor, Sue Popp, we arranged to have Pam attend an Outlook computer training class. Since Sue was able to see Pam’s work ethic and abilities, she gave her the opportunity to cross-train in other areas and chose to hire her at the end of the CJ. Pam now works more than 20 hours per week, earning $13.31 per hour.