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As December and 2009 come to a close, DeKalb Technical College is ending the year on a celebratory note. In the month of December several groups of students marked accomplishments in their academic life by graduating. In early December EMS students marked their graduation with a ceremony at DeKalb Tech’s Newton Center. On the 15th, the Law Enforcement Academy Cadets were honored. December 16th marked a momentous occasion for a group of people who don’t have a home, but now have an education to help better their lives. At the DeKalb Tech Conference Center on December 10th GED certificates were awarded to the first annual Fall GED graduation. “It was a month of celebrations and graduations,” said Dr. Robin Hoffman, President of DeKalb Tech.
Sixty-two participants took part in DeKalb Technical College’s first fall GED graduation. Linda Johnson, the Georgia Department of Labor’s assistant commissioner addressed more than 500 people at DeKalb Tech’s Conference Center. The class of 2009 student speaker was Dassett Lewis. Lewis is the 2009 DeKalb Technical College EAGLE winner (Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education). Many of the GED recipients are part of the Next Step program, which will transition them into college credit courses at DeKalb Tech. Earlier that week 17 students received their certificate for completing DeKalb Tech’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program. Once again, dozens of family and friends gathered to cheer on and support the accomplishments of the EMS students.
DeKalb Tech’s third class of Law Enforcement Academy cadets graduated from the 17 week program on December 15th at a ceremony filled with celebration and sorrow. Mike Adcock was one of the 17 recruits that was scheduled to graduate this night, but during a training exercise in mid October he suffered a fatal heart attack. His widow, children and fellow co-workers from the Walton County Sheriff’s Department were on hand for the graduation ceremony. Several hundred others joined in the ceremony. The director of the Law Enforcement Academy, Beverly Thomas as well as Lt. Harry McCann Jr., the academic instructor addressed the crowd.
The following day more than a dozen people were given certificates for their academic accomplishments at the Garden of Gethsemane homeless shelter in Covington. Chivon Mapp is originally from Trinidad, but found herself homeless in Conyers right now. She enrolled in several of the programs offered to improve her life and move out of the homeless shelter. “They had a lot of things they were offering, and I wanted to take advantage of what they were offering so I can get a better job,” says Mapp.
Sabrina Ortiz was born in Nebraska but has lived most of her life in Georgia. Now she finds herself homeless and living at the shelter. “I’ve been doing warehouse jobs off and on, and I wanted to be certified with a forklift, so I can get a better paying job in a warehouse,” says Ortiz. She also wants to learn more about computers, and re-certify herself in CPR. She wants to ultimately get into nursing, and plans to talk to DeKalb Tech officials about enrolling in the nursing program DeKalb Tech offers. The education of residents of the shelter was funded in part by the hard work of some students at Veterans Middle School in Covington. Members of the GEMS club, Girls Engaged in Meaningful Service sold lollipops to raise $1,000.00. Part of the money went for school supplies for school age students at the shelter. The rest went for funding education at DeKalb Tech for other residents of the shelter. This month their work paid off for residents like Ortiz and Mapp.
DeKalb Technical College, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, promotes a student-centered environment for lifelong learning and development, encompassing academic and technical education for employment in a global community. The college has eight centers of learning in DeKalb, Newton, Rockdale, and Morgan counties. Established in 1961, DeKalb Technical College currently has more than 4,000 students enrolled in diploma or degree programs and more than 9,000 in adult education classes. Academic and technical programs at DeKalb Tech cover more than 100 different occupations. For more information visit our website at www.dekalbtech.edu.
Top Photo: Dr. Robin Hoffman addresses GED graduates December 10;
Lower Photo: (12/16/09) Residents of Garden of Gethsemane Homeless Shelter graduation. (front row far right: Hawnethia Williams: Covington Mayor Protem. To her left Dr. Robin Hoffman: DeKalb Tech President; Rev. Clara Lett: Director of Garden of Gethsemane Homeless Shelter
