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Michael Smith
My name is Michael Smith, and I have a GED. When I was in high school, I didn't really care about my education. At the time I just wanted to make enough money to buy music equipment, so I put more emphasis on my rinky-dink restaurant job and my dreams of becoming a "Rock Star" than I did my education. My parents did not go to college, so when came the time to apply for higher education I was completely lost and discouraged. |
During the ten years before returning to school, I worked at entry level industrial jobs and various service industry jobs. It was then I realized that I may be more intelligent than the majority of my coworkers and, even on occasion, smarter than my supervisor. Meanwhile, my wife, who is a college graduate, agreed with my claims to possessing intelligence worthy of college level education and encouraged me to return to school. I started out taking a few classes at Tri-C, basically getting my feet wet in the academic world. I eventually decided to make a commitment to becoming a full time student at Kent State University.
I am very fortunate to have entered this particular university at the specific time when I chose to do so. The GED Scholars Initiative was in its formative period, and I was fortunate enough to reap the benefits of its existence from the beginning of my academic career at KSU. For once in my life, I was the guy who was "in the right place at the right time". I had a GED and a desire to become a teacher. Fate so had it that I was attending a university that has a legacy of churning out incredible teachers and is home to a unique GED scholars program that was designed with individuals like me in mind. At first, I had a hard time accepting the fact that someone was willing to assist me based on the simple fact that I did not graduate from High School, but I quickly accepted the treasure chest that I had been presented. The GED Scholars Initiative is a community like no other; it has been my guiding force and has helped me on many levels. The friendly and helpful atmosphere creates a strong sense of family among us all. I am proud to be part of this community - it has made me a better person.
