It Takes a Village: CLC's HSE Credential Program Helps a Student Achieve Her Goals

Joanna always wanted to finish high school and go to college. “For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be educated. I wanted to be a lawyer, then a doctor. I just wanted to help people,” she explains.

In 2021, Joanna enrolled in the High School Equivalency (HSE) Credential Program at the Cambridge Community Learning Center (CLC). The HSE Credential Program prepares students to take the HiSET or GED subject tests. Students must pass all the subject tests to earn their HSE Credential. A HSE Credential is the same as getting a high school diploma.

“I did my best trying to attend school at the CLC, but [at that time] I could never truly commit due to family responsibilities. I have 8 children,” says Joanna.

Many CLC students pause their studies and return when they are able to balance their family, work, and school commitments. When Joanna returned a few years later, her CLC math teacher, Karen, encouraged her throughout the program. “I was able to pass 4 of my subject tests, but math was my arch nemesis,” explains Joanna. “Karen never gave up on me, even when I gave up on myself. She is a patient teacher and allowed students like me to yell out the wrong answers just to show us how to solve the equations properly.”   

Joanna’s hard work paid off in June 2024, when she earned her high school equivalency credential and graduated from the CLC.

“Remember," Joanna says with a smile, "the sky is limitless when your village is full of people who are willing to build each other up!”

Joanna is now enrolled in college and studying criminal justice.

Do you want to earn your high school diploma? Sign up for an information session to learn if the CLC's High School Equivalency Credential Program can help you reach your goals.