LIMA — It had been more than 30 years since Lima resident Wade Seaman set foot in a classroom, but with 14 months of hard work and some help from teachers and family, he has obtained his GED diploma through Apollo Career Center’s Adult Education program.
Now, Seaman is encouraging others to follow in his footsteps.
Seaman, now in his 50s, dropped out of high school along with his brother in the 10th grade. And while he’s had a successful career in construction, he decided to head back to school and take advantage of Apollo’s free ABLE/GED classes. Wade persevered, and now he wants to help others get their GED diplomas.
“It’s going to open up a whole new employment world,” Seaman said. “If you want any kind of decent-paying job anymore, you’re going to have to have a high school diploma.”
Though Seaman was able to obtain a job as a concrete finisher, he knows the stress it has put on his body will mean he’ll need to find another profession that is not as physically taxing. Now that he’s earned his GED diploma, Seaman said his ability to find these jobs has increased tremendously.
Finding a new job wasn’t Seaman’s only motivation for graduating, however. He also wanted to set a good example for his 15-year-old son.
“He’s getting into high school and I want to make sure he graduates, and it was kind of hard for me to tell him he’s got to graduate when I didn’t,” Seaman said.
When Seaman found out he had earned his GED diploma, he said his son was right by his side.
“He was like, ‘Dad, you finally did it,’” Seaman said. “He was proud of me, and that made me feel really good.”
While his family played a large role in helping him graduate, Seaman also credits his teachers for pushing him to pass the GED test. After failing the math portion of the GED exam twice, Seaman said a text message from Apollo teacher Pat Murphy kept him from giving up.
“I kind of got discouraged at that point, but then one night Pat texted me and said he wanted me to get back in there and get it passed,” he said. “I thought, if he cares enough to text me personally then I really need to go back and finish this.”
On his third try, Seaman passed the math section and was awarded his GED diploma.
“It was a great sense of accomplishment,” he said. “It made my wife proud, my kids proud and I made myself proud.”
To earn a GED diploma, students must pass an exam made up of four subjects: science, social studies, mathematical reasoning, and reasoning through language arts. At Apollo, instructors help prepare students for the test by offering free pretests, computer instruction and individual subject instruction. The test is $120, but an $80 voucher is offered to Apollo students.
GED classes are available in Allen, Auglaize, Mercer, Van Wert and Paulding counties. Orientation for all sessions will be held Dec. 1 and Dec. 7.
Call 419-998-2956 or visit http://www.apollocareercenter.com for information.
.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}
