Alumni Check-In: Joe Fine Does It All
City worker. Private Eye. CCW trainer. Martial Arts Instructor. First responder. Published author. Business owner. Public speaker. Bounty hunter. Husband. Father. Joe Fine, GED grad class of 2022, is many things – but idle is not one of them.
IN THE BEGINNING
Dyslexic, Joe struggled in high school and felt like he didn’t belong. By the end of 11th grade, he dropped out. Married at 18, a father by 19, Joe’s work ethic kicked into high gear to support his family. Among other jobs, he taught martial arts at a local university, but was often embarrassed that he was the least formally educated person in the room. But Joe had dreams, and as time went on, not having his GED held him back.
He tried multiple GED programs but the lack of individualized attention was just like back in high school.
It took him awhile to find Seeds, but the difference was clear. “They’re giving their time and effort, and you don’t feel like you’re being talked down to,” he said of the tutors. “No one treated me like I was uneducated.”
SETBACKS
Right after finally finding his groove, setting his routine, and pairing with the right tutors, the pandemic struck. Joe was one of the first students to transition online, and even filmed videos to his classmates telling them how easy it was to make the change.
A freak burn accident derailed his GED efforts and he found himself in the hospital for weeks at a time, numerous surgeries, and yet his wounds weren’t healing. The doctors didn’t have to tell him his life was about to change when they sent in a limb salvage specialist. As a martial arts instructor (of 30 years!), mobility was critical to his life. Below-the-knee amputation was the best option for regaining normal movement.
Like everything he does, Joe tackled recovery with gusto, exceeding the expectations of medical staff. Day 1 he asked for a checklist of goals he’d have to complete for his release, and then went about making them happen, well before his 12 weeks of rehabilitation was complete.
Despite rigorous physical therapy, he still had time to study for his GED. In fact, he had MORE time, and the Virtual Classroom was perfect for someone in a hospital bed or wheelchair.
The loss of his leg wasn’t the only challenge Joe faced. Due to complications from one of his many surgeries, he temporarily lost his sight. He’d always struggled with vision, but he was legally blind for nearly 6 months, at the height of his GED work. Because he was studying virtually, he was able to enlarge the screen and the font size to as large as possible. “But it wasn’t easy. Some nights I only got through a paragraph,” he said.
Joe beat the odds, returning to work in December 2021, just 7 months after his amputation. His vision began to improve, and kept up with his GED studies at Seeds. His success earned him a spot as a graduate speaker at the 2022 Graduation ceremony.
CHANGES SINCE GRADUATION
Since speaking to his fellow graduates, Joe’s been as busy as ever.
Because of his GED, he was finally promoted from City Truck Driver to Specialty Truck Driver & Trainer, earning an incredible $11 an hour raise. Now he not only drives street sweepers, snow plows, gravel trucks and bucket trucks, he trains others to use them properly, too.
Joe’s day job isn’t the only thing that changed. He had always taught concealed carry (CCW) classes, as well as martial arts. But both were more of a hobby. Once he had his GED, he filed for an LLC to make them official businesses. Using the Seeds Virtual Classroom as a model, he began to offer the classroom portion of CCW training online and was one of the first instructors in the state to do so. He completed his private investigator’s training, and first responder training, as well.
Joe’s first attempt at writing after completing the GED was for himself, as a way of processing everything he had been through. He sent it to various staff members and his former tutor, showing them a piece of writing that never would have been possible without their patience and tutelage. They encouraged him to share it with a much wider audience. Joe’s piece was among those published in Beginnings Volume XXIV, an anthology of writing by adult learners.
Joe isn’t shy about sharing his story if it can help others, and he’s been giving motivational speeches.
“I talk about chasing your dreams, self defense, character building. Then I go into my own story, and how the GED made everything better,” he said. “I tell people about Seeds. And everyone says it sounds too good to be true. But it’s true.”
“Seeds of Literacy, at its core, is really about giving people a helping hand up,” he said in his graduation speech. “Helping people raise up to a level to support themselves, to help their own families. At Seeds, they can help you break the cycle of fear and personal challenges that could keep you from graduating. ”
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Joe and his wife Kim are celebrating 39 years of marriage. They have two sons and three grandchildren. Joe always promised his sons that if they got their diplomas, he’d go back and get his GED. He didn’t let any of the challenges life threw at him get in the way of his promise.
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