Warner Robins, Ga.— Central Georgia Technical College’s (CGTC) Adult Education Division (AED) recently announced, Shayla Cochran, as its 2024 Dinah Culbreth Wayne Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) delegate.
Nominated by her instructor, Lisa Dennis, and having participated in the College’s judging process, Cochran will now represent CGTC and the AED at the EAGLE Leadership Institute in Atlanta, March 2024. The Leadership Institute recognizes and honors the state’s adult education students who have demonstrated superior achievement in their classes and programs.
“If it was not for the Adult Education program, the pre-GED test vouchers, the scholarship received, and the endless amount of encouragement from the staff which helped plant the seed of success, I would not be here” Cochran said of her path through the adult education program and her fear about overcoming barriers when it came to school.
As a young mother, Cochran worried about providing for her children, she spent a lot of time trying to figure out the bare necessities of life. It brought doubts, anxieties, and questions about her next steps.
Cochran said that her struggle to finish her high school education centered around fear, fear that she would never be good enough or ever complete what she set out to do.
“I feared never completing anything, so I had to make a change,” she said. “I knew that the life I was living was not it and I could not provide the guidance for my children, nor give them the help that they needed because I could not help myself,”
Cochran said choosing to enroll in the CGTC Adult Education Division was the most life-changing decision she has made.
As she enrolled with the Division and began the GED® program, she learned of the many resources the College provides. GED vouchers helped her stay on track, testing facilities made her feel prepared, and the integrated training programs allowed her to gain workforce skills while earning her high school equivalency.
“I can say that I finally stare fear on the face, I beat the odds for better opportunities.” she said.
For Cochran and many others, the combination of earning a high school equivalency diploma and taking part in training through the College will allow adults to work and earn a living while continuing their undergraduate studies.
For more information about the CGTC Adult Education Division visit, Adult Education
About EAGLE
EAGLE is the first statewide program in the nation that recognizes and rewards excellence among students enrolled in adult education programs. This student recognition program is designed to create greater awareness of educational opportunities that are available in local communities across the state and to foster greater involvement in lifelong learning pursuits. The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) through its Office of Adult Education (OAE) sponsors the annual Leadership Institute.