美国国家公共电台 NPR Goodwill Helps 43-Year-Old Finally Get Her High School Diploma

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Jobs can be hard to come by for Americans who did not finish high school. Their unemployment rate is almost double the national average. And so Goodwill 1, the nonprofit best known for its retail 2 stores, is now in its second year of offering adults who did not complete high school a shot at a diploma. And we have more from reporter Kate McGee in Austin.

KATE MCGEE, BYLINE 3: Katina Johnson is sitting in a big, gray chair in her living room. She's on the phone making plans.

KATINA JOHNSON: You have all the stuff as far as making the centerpieces and stuff like that.

MCGEE: Johnson is planning her high school graduation party at 43 years old. She dropped out of middle school in the mid-1980s. That's when she found out she was pregnant. She never had a stable education. Her mother was a drug addict 4 and moved her around a lot until she died when Johnson was 12.

JOHNSON: I thought I knew everything because I was pregnant. I'm grown. So that was the last time I even seen the inside of a school.

MCGEE: It didn't get easier for Johnson after that. She had three more children, but she lost custody 5 of them. She was drinking and using drugs. At 27 years old, she became addicted 6 to crack cocaine 7. She went to prison twice. The second time, something changed.

JOHNSON: Like is this really what I want? Is this where I really want to spend the rest of my life?

MCGEE: Johnson got clean and stayed clean until she was released. She thought about getting her GED. One night, she was watching television and something caught her eye.

JOHNSON: Here comes Goodwill across the screen. And (laughter) it was so cute because it was on the news, and they were showing all these people walking the stage. And I was like, baby, baby - my husband - I was like, baby, baby, look, look, look. That could be me. And he's like, well, sign up. And I was like, I am, I am.

MCGEE: In 2014, Goodwill lobbied the Texas legislature to start a pilot program in Austin for 150 students aged 8 26 to 50. Texas law caps the high school enrollment 9 age at 26. After that, you can only get your GED. The Goodwill Excel Center is the only option in Texas for older adults who want to get a diploma.

MATT WILLIAMS: There is a significant wage gap between those who have a GED and a high school diploma.

MCGEE: Matt Williams is the vice 10 president of education at Goodwill Central Texas. The Excel Center isn't just focused on getting students better paying jobs. They want students to have a career. Life coaches, kind of like guidance counselors 11, develop a five-year plan with students.

WILLIAMS: To tie them to career training, have them go to ongoing 12 school, such as community college or a career certification program or a four-year college, which we're seeing a lot of our students do.

MCGEE: The school also offers free child care, transportation assistance and parenting classes. Some students just need a few credits so they get their diploma in a few months. For others, it takes a couple of years. The center makes sure every student who graduates can read and do basic math. For Johnson, the school offers something more.

JOHNSON: You know, as a child, I never had that encouragement. I never had that support, not even from my mom, you know what I mean?

MCGEE: When students graduate, a new life coach keeps tabs on them for two more years.

JOHNSON: So what is my total grade point average?

MCGEE: At Johnson's exit interview, she talks with her coaches about her final grades and her next step - community college.

JOHNSON: Oh, my eyes are watering just thinking about it. Oh, my God, I'm trying not to (laughter). I'm happy (laughter).

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I'm happy for you.

JOHNSON: Just knowing where I come from, you know, it's like...

MCGEE: Johnson still has some work to do to get to community college. She doesn't qualify for financial aid, but it's too expensive for her to pay out of pocket. Right now, she's looking for a second job and wants to pay off current debts before taking out student loans. But with her new found sense of hope, Johnson is determined 13 to become a college student. For NPR News, I'm Kate McGee in Austin.

(SOUNDBITE OF TRACEY CHATTAWAY'S "LIGHT THE NIGHT")