Gabbie presenting at the FLC conference.
Gabbie recently one the Florida Literacy Coalition’s Adult Learner of the Year Award. This is her acceptance speech at the ceremony!
I’m truly honored and deeply grateful to stand before you all today to expect such a prestigious award. As an adult student, this journey has been both challenging and triumphant. If I had been told a few years ago that I would have my GED and be accepting an award for my hard work, I wouldn’t have believed it.
I wouldn’t have believed it because my upbringing was so difficult, I didn’t believe in much. At 10 years old, I became an orphan. When my dad died, my mom lost custody while she was in prison. So I lived with my grandmother and great grandmother. It was fine for awhile, but they both got sick and in 8th grade I had to drop out of school to take care them. I cared for them around the clock. Giving them baths, meals and administering meds was a lot of responsibility. It made me grow up fast. I spent full summers sitting in hospitals and many waiting rooms, to get them the level of care they needed. This was my entire life. Finally, at 18, my nana passed away and my grandmother moved in with my aunt and uncle. I knew this was my time. It was time to get out of this cycle and let education lead the way.
I heard about Literacy Alliance from my co-worker who was attending classes there. She said it was free and they offered tutoring for adults, so i enrolled. I would attend class’s downtown in the main building. It was perfect. I was shocked to find a classroom full of people just like me.
But the transition to being an adult student was hard. It was a commitment to myself and a challenge to my insecurities of not being good enough or smart enough. Elizabeth and my teacher would call and check in with me even when I wasn’t the most consistent. Being an adult learner was hard juggling work and school, but I stayed in my rhythm. I’d get a ride to school, walk to work, get home, study and do it all over again. All with the encouragement of my teacher and classmates. Through Literacy Alliance, I was able to pass 3 of my subsections of the GED.
Math was all I had left. It was always one of my biggest challenges. I put it off for months. The thought kept me up at night. I knew I was so close and I wanted to make everyone who went on this journey with me proud. So, I nervously schedule my test I walked in optimistic and left in tears. I was convinced I had failed. All I wanted to do was go home, get in my bed and cry.
When I arrived home, I got an email from ged.com regarding my score. I opened my GED account and my heart sank, preparing for the worst. But then I saw that I had actually passed. I had to read it twice. I was so used to doubting myself that I didn’t think of the possibility of success. But I had succeeded. I had finally put myself first and it paid off with a high school diploma.
After getting my GED, I looked for a job with better opportunities. I saw that Literacy Alliance was looking for AmeriCorps members. I emailed my teacher, who put me in contact with the program managers of Literacy Alliance. They were very excited to accept me into the
AmeriCorps program. Working with Literacy Alliance and AmeriCorps has made me realize how much I love learning and helping people help themselves, so I’ve decided to get a degree in social work. Last Saturday, I applied for college. I am proud to say, that I will be starting at FSCJ this fall.
People learn via different pathways. And a lot of adult learners are adult learners because they never got the opportunity to learn as kids. I had no idea that I could get my diploma after dropping out in 8th grade. But what I’ve learned, is that everybody has the potential to learn and grow. Be consistent. Attend class. Thrive. Envision yourself holding that diploma. Because when you obtain that diploma, a sense of accomplishment will rush over you…and you realize that the growth of your education is something that no one can take away from you.
