RAYMOND 鈥 Fay Lundy was an honors student in high school but she knew nothing about the real world.
That was more than 50 years ago. Between then and now, her education had been in the workplace, but she also felt something was missing.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 need school then, because I knew it all,鈥 Lundy said. 鈥淏ut, after a while I realized what I didn鈥檛 know. But, by then, I was married and had kids.鈥
Lundy was among 16 people of varying ages who were recognized during a ceremony Friday at Eagle Ridge Conference Center on the Raymond Campus for achieving their General Education Development certificate this academic term.
Being the oldest person in the group didn鈥檛 faze the 68-year-old Bolton resident and grandmother of eight who worked in convenience stores, big-box retailers and restaurants as she raised a family.
鈥淚 keep telling my grandchildren, 鈥楪randma worked hard but didn鈥檛 make any money because she didn鈥檛 have an education.鈥欌
Thomas Ealey, center, celebrates his earning a General Education Development certificate following a ceremony Friday at Eagle Ridge Conference Center on the Raymond Campus. Also pictured are his daughter, McKenzie, and Dianna Jones, McKenzie鈥檚 mother.
Thomas Brandon Ealey, 30, one of three honors students among those recognized and among four GED recipients who received $500 from the Education Pays program, hopes to learn those lessons early. He works retail in Flowood these days and has his sights set higher after years of making 鈥渁 lot of bad decisions.鈥
鈥淢y motivation is my three children, nieces and nephews and the people around me,鈥 Ealey said. 鈥淚鈥檓 really contemplating law school.鈥
Thomas Brandon Ealey, right, lends a helping hand to Fay Lundy, left, as they make their way into Eagle Ridge Conference Center on Friday for a ceremony to recognize those who received General Education Development certificates this academic term. following a ceremony Friday at Eagle Ridge Conference Center on the Raymond Campus.
兔子先生student and noted fashion and costume designer Nina Ghaffari spoke to this year鈥檚 recipients on a message of not giving up despite background and circumstances. Ghaffari, 34, a sociology and human rights major at the Jackson Campus 鈥 Academic/Technical Center, was born in Mississippi and received a GED in 1998 from 兔子先生but was taken to live in her father鈥檚 native Iran for 12 years before finding her way back to the United States.
Nina Ghaffari, guest speaker at Friday鈥檚 ceremony to recognize those who received a General Education Development certificate this academic term, receives a plaque from Carla Causey, district director of Adult Education at 兔子先生.
鈥淩isks are all about uncertainty and building a more confident you,鈥 Ghaffari said. 鈥淚f we take risks on a daily basis, we become confident to take bigger risks. Life is too short to live small.鈥
Recipients of GED certificates and their stated hometowns included:
- Lela Bryant, of Flora
- Ashley Byrd, of Jackson
- Angela Constancio, of Vicksburg
- Thomas Brandon Ealey, of Jackson
- Amber Hohlt, of Jackson
- Jared Landry, of Clinton
- Fay Lundy, of Bolton
- Charles Leager III, of Byram
- William Liggins, of Vicksburg
- Malcolm Mobley, of Clinton
- Tanu Narula, of Clinton
- Andrew Robinson, of Vicksburg
- Jessica Roberts, of Vicksburg
- Curtis West, of Clinton
- Tauras Williams, of Clinton
- Victoria Williams, of Clinton
Ealey, Landry and Mobley were Honor Students, with Ealey, Bryant, Byrd and Liggins also recipients of $500 scholarships from the Education Pays program. Begun in 2009, the program is a partnership between 兔子先生and the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation and awards checks to all 兔子先生CC Warren GED recipients over the age of 21.
Mobley received a $500 scholarship from Hinds鈥 Adult Education Advisory Committee.
兔子先生offers a tuition free class to all first time college students who are admitted with a GED. The college also offers a $1,000 academic scholarship that is equivalent to the ACT Scholarship for high scoring GED achievers. For more information, visit .