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Get the Support You Need to Achieve Your Goals

Jason Campbell in cap and gown, holding his diploma

Jason Campbell had been working in a warehouse for the last ten years. But as a husband and a father, he wanted to do more than just make ends meet. "I knew that getting a diploma puts me in a situation where I can support my family better," he said. "There are a lot more opportunities — once you have a college degree — than there are for someone with no high school diploma." So, when he heard about the free GED® program at the Library, Jason reached out.

Get Practice Speaking English at the Center for Adult Learning

Melanie Pelchat and Diana Anissina hold copies of New Beginnings

Last month, in the Center for Adult Learning, several students celebrated their “graduation” from Level 5 English for Speakers of Other Languages classes, the Library’s highest ESOL course level. While no official certificates were awarded at this event, no one left empty-handed. They also walked away having acquired new skills and new friends.

From Roadblocks to a Road Map

Samson Pickens was determined to be a successful father and good role model for his two children. To provide them with all the support they needed and the footsteps he hoped they’d follow in, he knew he needed a great career. But first, he’d have to earn his high school diploma.

Lateka And The Push To Keep Going

Lateka Perry in cap and gown with diploma

Lateka Perry found herself surrounded by a lot of prominent, successful people… people who saw her potential and pushed her. But she didn’t always believe in herself. She was an entrepreneur, a mentor, a mother. There was just one problem: she just couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t as smart or as deserving of success as the people she looked up to. She didn’t have her high school diploma. But with the support of her husband and children, she was finally able to prove to herself that she could finish what she started.

Tiffaney's New Beginning

Tiffaney Capers in cap and gown, holding her diploma

Tiffaney always strived to be the role model her daughter needed. To show her just how important education is, Tiffaney decided to finish her schooling. But first, she needed to complete her high school diploma with help from the Library's Center for Adult Learning. After passing the G.E.D. Test®, she's ready and eager to get her bachelor's degree and move forward in her career.

Geneva Barber Hopes to Inspire Others

Geneva Barber holds her diploma while wearing a cap and gown

After a close friend completed her high school diploma with help from the Library's Center for Adult Learning, Geneva started to picture herself in that cap and gown, holding her own high school diploma. Now she's passed her G.E.D. Test® and she's ready for the next chapter of her amazing story.

Lianying Ye: Grateful for Encouragement and New Beginning

Lianying Ye gets a big congratulations from Library Director Tim Rogers at the Jacksonville Public Library

Lianying Ye earned a medical degree in China. Tragically all of her school records and proof of credentials were lost in a fire. Knowing that Lianying wanted to resume her education, a friend suggested the library as a place where she might take computer classes and GED classes.

GED Graduate Jacqueline: Realizing Dream to Help ‘Even in Death’

Getting past the GED test might lead to your childhood dream—even if it’s to become a mortician. So the story goes for Jacqueline, a 2018 GED graduate at Jacksonville Public Library, who dreamed of becoming a mortician. Despite receiving a certificate of completion from high school, Jacqueline, who’s enrolled in Florida State College at Jacksonville’s mortuary science program, realized she’d need more than that to pursue the career she envisioned.

Dante Chandler: Diploma helped ‘get foot in door’

Image of Dante Chandler at his Career Online High School graduation

Dante Chandler, 32 years old and happily married, professes that his family and five children are his “motivation for living and being a better person.” One thing he looks forward to each week is making a trip with the kids to the public library, typically the Willowbranch Branch Library, which is near the kids’ school, or the Main Library if they’re venturing close to downtown.

Desiree: Checking high school diploma off bucket list

Image of Desiree Lazarus at her Career Online High School graduation

At age 51, Desiree Lazarus took the plunge, and did something she’s had on her bucket list for a long time—she went “back to high school” to get her diploma. After several failed attempts at the GED—she passed the social studies, science and reading sections easily but had difficulty with the writing and math—she’d all but thrown in the towel when she learned about Career Online High School (COHS) at the library.