Success Story: Mother Breaks the Cycle By Achieving HSE
Rosemarie dropped out of school in the 10th grade and her mother’s education ended at 4th. She knew that if she wanted to break the cycle for her children, she had to make a change.
“You need to believe in yourself,” she said. “If you don’t, who will?” Rosemarie knows first-hand the power of having faith in yourself, and the possibility of changing your life through education.
After Seeds, Rosemarie received her associate’s degree in accounting and is now employed as an accountant at an industrial distribution company in Cleveland. “I love numbers and the thrill of being able to figure out the final product. Numbers are never-ending; how far you go with math depends on you!”
And Rosemarie herself has come quite far. She was involved with Children and Family Services at age fifteen, had truancy issues during high school, and left school in tenth grade to “go a different route.”
Her mother’s education stopped at the fourth grade, and while her father had an associate’s degree in engineering, he left the family when Rosemarie was five. Deep inside, Rosemarie wanted something else. “I wanted to break the cycle.”
The GED® was Rosemarie’s key. She heard about Seeds from her aunt, started classes, but got bored and quit.
A year later, “I realized I couldn’t do anything without a GED, so I came back.” Motivated by what the GED could lead to, Rosemarie kicked into high gear. “I went full force. Once I passed the first practice test, I went for the real deal!”
Rosemarie is the first member of her family to finish college, and is a great role model for her three children. “Education is strong in my house,” she states. “My kids both started preschool early, and the youngest was doing kindergarten-level work in preschool. They love school and the homework I give them!”
Her best advice for students applies to all of us: “Don’t give up. Remind yourself that you can do it. I don’t know your story or where you came from, but keep moving ahead; don’t look back.”
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Rosemarie is a 2007 graduate of Seeds. She received her associate’s degree online in 2015.