John Wallace of Rep. Barry Loudermilk’s office, left, speaks with Alex Byrne, a Cherokee Learning Center GED student at Summit 2016, held at the Cherokee County Conference Center.
(Canton, Ga. – Jan. 7, 2016)
With 16 percent of adults in the state of Georgia lacking a high school diploma, communities like Cherokee County have stepped up to the plate to help those without this certification create a new life for themselves and for their families. In order to raise awareness of the need for increased adult literacy, Chattahoochee Technical College joined with various business, agencies and community representatives during Summit 2016, held at the Cherokee County Conference Center on Thursday, Jan. 7.
“We talk a lot in this state about economic development. Well, economic development does not happen without a sound education system,” Shan Cooper, vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin, said. “That means our folks, our kids, our students, our adults have to be literate.”
Tamika Phillips, who serves as Chattahoochee Technical College’s executive director of adult education, speaks during Summit 2016, held at the Cherokee County Conference Center.
A combined effort among MUST ministries, the Sequoyah Regional Library System and the Cherokee Learning Center, Summit 2016 featured Tamika Phillips, who serves as Chattahoochee Tech’s executive director for Adult Education. Phillips was joined by Billie Izard, executive director of the Certified Literate Community Program of Georgia; and Rep. Wesley Cantrell of Woodstock. In addition, the event included a breakout session for members of the community who work daily to increase the literacy level in Cherokee County.
“Every nine seconds someone drops out of high school,” Phillips said. “In the state of Georgia it is necessary for adult education to exist and even more important for adult education programs to have the support of local lawmakers, businesses, community agencies and others in the community because it is critical to Georgia’s bottom line.”
Beyond exploring the economic impact that adult literacy has on Georgia, the event featured Alex Byrne, a Cherokee Learning Center GED student, who shared his personal story. In addition to CTC’s GED preparation site at the Cherokee Learning Center, the college also has GED preparation centers in Ellijay, Jasper, Acworth and Canton as well as in Bartow and Cobb counties.
“I had a troubled childhood. It was difficult coming home from school and I could never really ask my parents for help with my homework,” Byrne said. “When I got to high school I ended up dropping out and became one of the statistics.”
Byrne, 19, has worked in heating and air since he was 17. He said after a time of personal reflection it was time to make a change in his life and seek his GED.
“I couldn’t be happier for myself right now,” Byrne said.
To learn more about Chattahoochee Tech’s adult education program, visit http://www.chattahoocheetech.edu/programsandcourses/adult-education/.