Media release from Georgia Northwestern Technical College:
Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s (GNTC) Office of Adult Education held its Fall 2025 Graduation Ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 18, for students who have earned their High School Equivalency (HSE) diplomas.
The ceremony was held at the Conference Center on GNTC’s Gordon County Campus in Calhoun to accommodate students and families from all nine counties of GNTC’s service area.
The evening began with a welcome and introductions by Lisa Shaw, vice president of Adult Education at GNTC.
“I know something important about every single one of you,” Shaw said. “You’ve faced obstacles—some that might have made you question whether finishing was worth it.”
Shaw praised the graduates for continuing to show up instead of quitting, despite setbacks and challenges.
“You have proven something powerful to yourselves and to the world,” Shaw said. “You are capable. You are resilient, and you can do hard things.”
The ceremony’s guest speaker was Jayden Allen, GNTC’s 2026 EAGLE (Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education) delegate. She will represent GNTC at the Dinah Culbreath Wayne EAGLE Leadership Institute state competition in March.
Allen, a Lindale resident, earned her HSE through GNTC’s Adult Education program in June. She is currently in GNTC’s Health Care Assistant certificate program and plans to earn a diploma in Health Information Coding.
“I moved a lot when I was growing up, going to 11 different schools by the time I was in 11th grade,” Allen explained. “I was homeschooled for a year because I had thought it would be easier to keep up with the curriculum by digesting it at my own pace. Having ADHD made learning and understanding challenging, so I had to use different methods than the other students to figure out what worked best for me.”
Her homeschooling lessons were progressing well but were still difficult; however, she avoided the anxiety she got when speaking up in class, she said. Then her mother had a ruptured brain aneurysm.
“Nothing mattered in that moment,” she explained. “School was the last thing on my mind.”
She left school her senior year after a failed grade. Four years later she tried to earn her HSE, but found the pace of the courses too slow, she explained. She faced additional emotional and financial hurdles before she vowed to overcome her depression and move into a better career.
“I came across a Facebook post about an Accelerated Academy offered at GNTC,” she said. “It felt like a beacon of hope that maybe this time I would be ready. I got my High School Equivalency within three days.”
“I was able in three days to earn something that I had thought for six years was unobtainable—all thanks to GNTC, the instructors and the Adult Education program,” she said.
Dr. Heidi Popham, GNTC president, reminded graduates that education is not a destination, but a continuous journey.
“In this room, I see not just graduates, but individuals who have overcome unique obstacles and challenges, demonstrating tenacity and an unyielding spirit,” Dr. Popham said. “Life has a habit of presenting us with unexpected challenges, but you chose not to be identified and defined by those obstacles. Instead, you chose a path of educational and personal growth.”
“Throughout your journey, you have not only acquired knowledge, but you have also developed essential life skills such as adaptability, problem solving and knowledge that will serve you well into the future,” Dr. Popham said. “This accomplishment is not an end; it is the beginning of a new chapter filled with many possibilities.”
Laurie Brooks, Adult Education Career Services specialist, presented the diplomas to the graduates. Derrick McDaniel, Adult Education instruction director, recognized Honor graduates.
Shaw led the turning of the tassels and delivered the closing remarks.
Listed are the graduates who participated in the Fall 2025 Adult Education Graduation Ceremony. This list does not include students that have graduated, but did not participate in the ceremony, or students that registered for the ceremony after the commencement program was printed: Toni Aaron, Lucas Brayden Abernathy, Levi Anglen, Cody James Baggett, Candice Barker, Omarious Tayshaun Barton, Shantel Beacham, Amanda Blackmon, Katie Brock, Sarah Leann Brunty, Maria Canchola, Aurora Cano, Maria Carrillo, Aurora Carson, Karson Wayne Cavins, Benjamin Chambers, Paisley Champion, Kalista Chastain, Breshyia Christopher, Jemeliz Sapon Chum, Kadin Cloud, Camilo Andres Cortes Alonso, Apreesha Davis, Benjamin Davis, Marty Davis, Tanner Deering, Omar DeLeon, Jacob Isiah Devon Eidson, Sarah Ellis, Richard Estermyer, Cheyenne Fox, Daniel Franco, Collin Freed, Adciri Gomez-Vasquez, Heidy Gonzalez, Josiah Joel Hansen, Donald Ray Herbert III, Torrey Herod, Tiffany Hindmon, Georgia Holloway, Ryan Taylor Hubbard, Abigail Hullender, Kaden Hullender, Darrell Johnson, Abigail King, Haley Martin, Angelica Martinez, John Cameron McGee, Shawn Gabriel McGee, Kimberly Mealer, Tehani Middleton, Myra Millican, Jaden S. Mosely, Emma Grace Nowlin, Elizabeth Palma, Cassidy Arianna Patterson, Ja’Kia Perdue, Sevilla Perez, Michelle Linda Ramirez, Amaris Peace Melodye Rankin, Brandy Redwine, Katrina Ridley, Makayla Rivera, Indiea Rodgers, Alejandro Rodriguez Apodaca, Stephen Levi Rogers, Cheyenne Autumn Smith, Karla Sotelo, Daisy Soto, Catherine Sowden, Khrista Machell Starnes, Cherokee Steele, Isaiah Alexander Stewart, Brynlee Thomas, Bobbie Traore, Gregory Tyler, Frederick Ryan Walker Jr., Chantell Ward, Steve A. Ware and Dianne Whatley.
The Adult Education program acknowledged the following organizations who provided scholarships: Atlanta Gas Light Foundation, Calhoun-Gordon Council for a Literate Society, Catoosa Citizens for Literacy, Chattooga County Literacy Council, Conasauga Drug Court Program, Dalton-Whitfield Community Foundation, Dalton Rotary Club, Dollar General Literacy Foundation, GNTC Foundation, LaFayette Presbyterian Church, North Georgia Electric Membership Corp., Polk County Council, Polk County Rotary Club, Rome-Floyd County Commission on Children and Youth, Rome Rotary Club, Shaw Industries and Tallatoona Community Action Partnership Inc.
The mission of GNTC’s Adult Education program is to enable every adult learner in the service delivery area to acquire the necessary basic skills to be able to compete successfully in today’s workplace, strengthen family foundations and exercise full citizenship. The program provides preparation for the Georgia HSE tests, Adult Secondary Education, Adult Basic Education and English as a Second Language (ESL).
In the GNTC photo:
Honor graduates (from left) Abigail King, Tanner Deering and Josiah Joel Hansen were recognized for their academic achievement. King scored the highest average score on the Social Studies section of the HSE exam, Tanner scored highest on the Science section and Hansen on the Reading and Math sections, as well as the overall exam.
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