Friends and family gathered on Sunday, June 2nd to celebrate the 39 young people who have earned their high school diplomas through Identity’s GED program since 2018. Each graduate’s journey was unique, overcoming tremendous obstacles to earn this important credential. One student explained it like this, “I felt like I would never be able to get my high school diploma, I felt like school just wasn’t for me and before I heard about Identity I thought it was just over for me and that it wouldn’t happen. But Identity has given me a whole lot of resources and an opportunity to get my diploma and get my life back on track where I thought it was over before it began.”
It’s that kind of perseverance and determination that inspired the keynote speaker, the Honorable Sidney Katz (Montgomery County Council Vice President). Mr. Katz called the graduates “warriors in the battle for education” and told them he was inspired by their accomplishment. “We know that the success of Montgomery County is inextricably tied to your success, tied to strong and determined young people like you.”
Another student put it this way: “Today I’m celebrating me coming a long way, not giving up. I just got tired of failing. Identity gave me my second chance.”
In addition to providing GED classes in Spanish and English, Identity’s two Youth Opportunity Centers offer a wide range of integrated programs and services to support opportunity youth in their transition to adulthood.