Chester Mitchell of Cedar Bluff began his unique journey of earning a GED® certificate in 2002 as the result of a lay off from a construction job. He attended class for a short time and was called back to work. Chester recalled, “Life got in the way, and I had to pay the bills,” so work was his top priority.
Class was put on hold until he experienced another lay off. Chester then returned to a GED® class and worked on his basic skills until he got a new job in the mining industry. As years passed and job changes came, Chester would always head back to an adult education classroom whenever he had the chance, but he could only participate for intermittent periods of time.
After years of being in and out of GED® prep classes, Chester enrolled in Donovan Helton’s GED® class in Honaker in December 2017. After months of preparation, and alternating between Donovan Helton’s and Wanda Lawson’s classes during the summer months, Chester began taking the official GED® tests. He first passed the Social Studies test in February 2019. It was at this pivotal point that Chester realized he could really do this!
He continued to work on each of the remaining subjects until he was ready to pass each one. Chester passed the Reasoning Through Language Arts test in April 2019; then, he passed the Science test in May 2019.
The Mathematical Reasoning test proved to be most difficult for Chester, but he didn’t give up. He successfully passed the math test on his third attempt on December 17, 2019 after 17 years of not giving up on attaining his goal. Chester expressed, “It was a wonderful feeling; it felt like a load was lifted. It was like reaching the top of a mountain after a long climb.” In his own words, Chester said he learned, “You can do it if you set your mind to it!”
What made Chester persist in his pursuit of a high school-level credential? Chester answered, “Getting my GED® was something I wanted and needed to do.” The biggest challenge that Chester felt he faced as an adult learner preparing for the GED® tests was that he had been out of school for such a long time. Chester expressed he was able to overcome that challenge with lots of prayer, determination, and help from his teachers.
Chester said the best aspect of the program was that through the years, he was always able to return to a class when his schedule permitted and that he was always supported by the adult education staff. Chester advises, “Kids need to stay in school because it doesn’t get any easier.”
Southwest Regional Adult Education (SRAE) congratulates Chester for his perseverance, commitment, and success in achieving his goal! What’s next for Chester? Chester plans to take HVAC classes at Southwest Virginia Community College and become a licensed HVAC technician. He hopes to one day achieve his dream of opening his own HVAC service business.
What’s stopping you from achieving your educational goals? Let us help. SRAE offers tuition-free classes at convenient times and locations throughout the region. Call 866-581-9935 today to register for a class. You could become the next success story!