GED graduates, from left, Tiffany Rushing of Union, Jean Brown of Collinsville and Angela Cage of Conehatta provided testimonials at the annual commencement held recently at East Central Community College in Decatur.

    Tiffany Rushing was in the 11th grade when she dropped out of high school in 1999.

     Rushing knew leaving school was a mistake, but she kept putting off the decision to return to the classroom – until she recently enrolled in GED (General Educational Development) classes offered by East Central Community College.

     Rushing, now 29, was among 70 students who recently received their high school equivalency diplomas from ECCC President Dr. Phil A. Sutphin at the 2010 GED Graduation held on the Decatur campus.

     Not only was the Union resident one of the proud graduates, she was also one of three students who provided testimonials.

     During her remarks, Rushing recalled her struggles after becoming a high school dropout.

     “Just like many of you, I felt so incomplete,” Rushing stated before a packed audience in Huff Auditorium. “I wanted more for my education but time after time I stuck it (returning to school) on the back burner.”

     Rushing said one night while she slept, “it all came to me like a shooting star.”

     “I knew I could do better for myself … so I got busy and made the first step that put me back on the path that God had for me,” she explained. “I enrolled in the GED program here at EC.”

     Rushing said she soon realized she could achieve her goal, thanks to the support and encouragement from her instructors and family.

     “Mrs. (Mary) Burt, Mr. (Bryan) Burt and Mr. (Ed) McGowan had so much confidence in me that I knew I could do all things through Christ who strengthened me,” she said. “Thanks also to my wonderful husband and children for their help and inspiration.”

     Rushing, who plans to continue her education in the near future, challenged others who do not have a high school education to take the next step.

     “As I speak to you (tonight), let’s focus on the following thought: “Be all that you can you be – by going back to school and getting your GED!”

     Jean Brown, a resident of the House community in Neshoba County, also provided a testimonial.

     Brown, who dropped out of school while an eighth grader in 1982, has three grown children and four grandchildren. She said watching her children receive their high school diplomas provided the inspiration she needed to return to the classroom.

     “I remember watching with pride as each one received a diploma,” she remarked. “I thought to myself, ‘someday I will do that.’ But the older I got, the more I thought, ‘No way, I’m too old … And how can it help me any way?’ Then I realized that the only one standing in my way – was me!”

     Brown began taking GED classes provided by ECCC at the Philadelphia/Neshoba County Career-Technical Center and soon her “dream” was realized.

     “Now I stand here at age 42 as a GED graduate!” she exclaimed. “Thanks to my teachers, Mrs. (Susan) Hisaw and Mrs. (June) Fulton, my dreams are coming true. I will start classes at ECCC in August with hopes of pursuing a degree in culinary arts technology.”

     Brown, who also expressed appreciation to family members for their support, encouraged others in need of a GED to enroll in classes “and have your dreams come true, too.”

     Angela Cage, 41, of Conehatta, was the third speaker and recalled how she dropped out of school as a 16-year-old eighth grader and soon began a family while living in Lake City, Fla.

     “I became a mother at age 18, and over the next few years had three more children,” Cage said. “I realized at that point going back to school was not going to be possible. School was the last thing on my mind – my family was first.”

     But Cage changed her attitude about getting an education when she moved to Newton County in February.

     “When asked about going back to school, I then realized how much I wanted and needed my education,” she recalled. “So I decided at age 41 to get my GED. And now two months after my middle son’s graduation from high school, I can stand here before you as a 2010 GED graduate!”

     During her remarks, Cage also expressed appreciation to Frances Edwards and Marion Thornton “who have always believed in me and told me that I can accomplish my goals,” she said. She also thanked ECCC and the GED instructors “for all their help to make our goals and dreams a reality.”

     Cage, who plans to major in computer programming at ECCC, concluded her remarks by encouraging others to pursue their educational goals:

     “Nobody, no matter how old or how bad their lives are, should give up on their hopes and most of all their dreams. I know you can do it; just like I did.”

     Also receiving GED diplomas were Rodtrellius Amos, Flossie Hayes, Lydia Henderson, Tatyana Lewis and Jamarius Moore, all of Forest; Brittany Arrington, Vossburg; Dorothy Barfield and Shalonda Singleton, both of Decatur; Kimberly Bates and Candice Wicker, both of Pulaski; Kaylace Beatty, Ariel Griffin, James Lee, Cody Lindsay, Stephanie Moore, Tracy Moore, Dana Nelson and Jamarius Spann, all of Morton; Zachary Bishop, Tyricqwon Burks, Nikki Lawson and Kristopher Waldrop, all of Carthage; Jean Brown, Collinsville; Sherman Bufkin, Sr., Freddie Dertinger, Danielle Dorman, Courtney Ellingburg, Clarissa Gladney, Kevin Greer, James Griffin, Norman Griffith, Cadraious Houston, Samantha Ladd, Amber Maxwell, Nathaniel McBride, Melissa Melancon, Keiwana Miller, Ryan Quintana, Tyler Reese, Samantha Richardson, Jonathan Robinson, Shekera Smiley, Wendy Tubby, Reginald Tucker and Jessica Ward, all of Philadelphia; Angela Cage, Conehatta; Christina Chamblee, Ashley James, Robert Munn, Tiffany Rushing and Joshua Wilkerson, all of Union; Lisa Chaney and Kimberly Gilbert, both of Little Rock; Augustine Clark, Noxapater; Austin Dunsford, Tupelo; Dewayne Evans, Meridian; Dorothy Ewing, Kara Massey and Cathy Oliphant, all of Newton; Ashley Fulton, Preston; Audreanna Johnson and Crystal Johnson, both of Lena; Leanne Killen and Donald Moss, both of Walnut Grove; and Daniel Brice Langford and Dakota White, both of Louisville.