GED Stories

Name: Chimanga

Age: 35

City and State: Los Angeles, CA

What motivated you to get your GED? I was 17 years old, living in Los Angeles, and at the time I was hanging “with the homies” and doing nothing. Having always being an avid reader, I read some autobiographies of successful people and always dreamt of being one. Being raised in a single-parent household, I saw how my mother struggled to raise two kids and decided to make something of myself.

How have your friends and family helped you? I chose to pursue my GED on my own after leaving home at the age of 17. At that time, I was being home schooled, which was hard for me because I was not serious about it. When I left home just before turning 18, I relocated to St. Louis to live with my grandmother. Honestly though, my main inspiration was my oldest uncle who received his GED at 17 years of age, spent 30 years in the navy, and earned three bachelor’s degrees during that span.

What problems have you faced? My biggest problem was not being able to be serious and consistent. Surrounding myself with strong male role models (such as my uncles and grand-uncle, all of whom were in the military) provided me with the push that I needed.

What do you hope to gain from getting your GED? Having earned my GED in 1992 at the age of 18, I have since graduated community college, Job Corp, and worked at AT&T for 5+ years. Now at the age of 35, I am back in school, working toward earning a nursing degree with aspirations of attending graduate school. My sincere hope is for the GED to really become respected.

Chimanga,

It sounds like you really have made something of yourself! It’s always great to have good role models. It can be hard when everyone around you doesn’t seem to want the same lives for themselves that you want for yourself. Congratulations on seeing that you needed to look outside your immediate situation, and taking the action to improve your own situation. And thanks for sharing your story! It’s always so wonderful to hear about GED successes.

The GED Academy