Nationwide — Nashonda High, an African American single mother from Macon, Georgia, earned her GED after borrowing a Chromebook from the Washington Memorial Library each week for a year.
High began visiting the library regularly in February 2024, using the borrowed laptop to study. After months of dedication, she passed her GED exams in December 2024.
“With the help of that Chromebook, it has really opened. It really encouraged me, like I was on the go,” she said. “When I did come in here, it’s more like a home away from home. I always felt welcome here.”
Her motivation came from her four children, who constantly encouraged her. She recalled, “My son, he would say, ‘Mama keep trying.’ My daughter, she would encourage me. It just feels good that I had my own little circle that saw me as their mother. Not only as a mother, but as an educator, as somebody trying to pursue something, somebody trying to get somewhere. And for them to push me when I felt weak, it’s amazing.”
The Middle Georgia Regional Library celebrated her success on Facebook, congratulating her for earning her GED. Megan Vaughn, Head of Reference at the library, highlighted the impact of their laptop lending program, launched after the pandemic with funding from a Georgia Public Library Service grant.
Now that High has reached her goal, she hopes to become a certified nursing assistant and help others the way the library helped her.
“This has truly been a journey,” High said. “It’s emotional. It’s the only thing I could say. I’m on the rise, and for those struggling to pursue a goal or get their GED like me, or trying to pursue something, whatever you’re trying to pursue in life, just know that you can do it.”
Source: BlackNews.com
