A-B Tech had one of its most special graduation ceremonies on June 8 as the 2022-23 High School Equivalency (HSE) graduates received their diplomas before a packed auditorium of friends and family. A-B Tech had 124 HSE graduates this year, of whom 34 walked in the ceremony.
A-B Tech President John Gossett said the HSE graduation is his favorite ceremony because the graduates “have changed the trajectory of their lives through perseverance, hard work, and dedication.”
Commencement speaker Scott Rogers, executive director of Asheville-Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM), told students their investment in themselves and their futures “will pay huge dividends that will keep on giving. You can take care of yourselves and your families and you can take care of business … you are positioned to rise up and starting climbing that career ladder and achieve your potential.”
Student speakers were Justin Huskey, Rebekah Shelton, Jeremy Meyer, Katherine Staton, and Juanita Masters. Each student spoke about their journey to completing high school as an adult and overcoming obstacles and challenges along the way.
“I overcame addiction and started in a new direction,” Huskey said. “I avoided jail and had a probation officer who is as responsible as anyone for my being here today. I’ve been to the bottom and had to climb out. Whatever we want is out there.”
Shelton said, “Life isn’t meant to be easy, and each of us had to make a decision to start over.” Meyer credited his family with pushing him to get a GED for many years, but said he resisted. “Now I’m in a much better position to create a bright future.”
Staton said she couldn’t have imagined being a graduate a year ago, but credited her success to “the spirit each of my teachers brought to the classroom.”
Masters said she awoke on July 4 of last year and told her wife she was going to finish high school, which…
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