All about the “no excuses” mindset.
According to an 11Alive report, Nashonda High, a single mother of four from Macon, GA, earned her GED with the help of her local library. High repeatedly borrowed computers from the tech desk at Washington Memorial Library to get the job done.
“With the help of that Chromebook, it has really opened,” she said. “It really encouraged me, like I was on the go.”
Head of Reference Megan Vaughn noticed High’s frequent visits to the library.
“Starting about February of 2024, Miss Nashonda started coming in to check out a Chromebook,” she said. “Just about every week we’d see her come in, she’d turn her Chromebook in, get her Chromebook back.”
In December 2024, High told the librarians she received her GED.
“It said: pass, pass, pass, pass,” she said.
High borrowed a library laptop every week for a year to study for and pass her GED exams. The Middle Georgia Regional Library honored her on social media for her achievement, according to 11Alive.com.
“It’s touching,” High said. “It’s very touching. When I did come in here, it’s more like a home away from home. I always felt welcome here.”
High said she stayed persistent because of her four kids.
“You ask my 12-year-old daughter, she would say, ‘Mama, your book bag is like your second purse,’” she said. “Yeah, it was stuff like that encouraged me. My son, he would say, ‘Mama keep trying.’ My daughter, she would encourage me. It just feels good that I had my own little circle that saw me as their mother. Not only as a mother, but as an educator, as somebody trying to pursue something, somebody trying to get somewhere. And for them to push me when I felt weak, it’s amazing.”
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