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IN THIS ISSUE
Front Page
Introducing PASSPORT
Student Turns Lemons
into Lemonade — and Tacos
Adapting Environments to
Meet Special Needs
Success Comes in 3s
The Jacqueline Sue Bates Story
Mill Workers Go Back to School
GED Student Nominated for
Poet of the Year
Countdown to the New Millenium
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GED Student Turns Lemons into Lemonade — And Tacos
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You never know when the rug might be pulled out from under you. Mary Hammond, a Valdosta Technical Institute Adult Education student, recently discovered this first hand.
Mary Hammond had a successful career, a good marriage, and a loving family. She and her husband were both employed by Levi Strauss & Company in administrative positions. Hammond had attained a supervisory position through her hard work and determination. She and her family had moved to Valdosta, Georgia from Roswell, New Mexico with the company because they received assurances that their jobs would be secure as long as the job market remained stable; however, a short time later, she was devastated to learn that she and her husband would no longer have jobs because the Valdosta plant would be closing after more than 30 years in operation. She had worked for the company for over 20 years.
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 Having earned her GED, Adult Education graduate Mary Hammond has now set her sights on opening a Mexican restaurant.
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In spite of the setback, Mary chose to make the best of a bad situation. She had always wanted to further her education, and saw this as an opportunity to do so. Taking the GED battery of tests, she found that only a few points more on the math section would be needed in order to pass the battery. Once she enrolled in the GED program at Valdosta Technical Institute, her teacher Alvin Dayton informed her that it would not take long to accomplish her goal.
"Her attitude and attendance were outstanding," Payton said. "Her vigilance at completing her homework and desire to succeed in both geometry and algebra were second to none."
Mary Hammond has since passed the math portion of the GED tests and is currently in her second quarter at Valdosta Tech. She has enrolled in the marketing program and plans to open an authentic Mexican restaurant after she completes her studies.
"I'm looking forward to having dinner at Mary's restaurant; and I'm sure it will be good." Payton said.
Frederick Hodge
Full-Time Literacy Teacher
Valdosta Technical Institute
Valdosta, Georgia
SDA 35
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