Rockford residents battle through hardship to get a high school diploma

Yahoo12-06-2025

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Several Rockford residents who were enrolled in an online high school program received their high school diplomas at the Nordlof Center on Wednesday.
The Adult High School Program is offered by the Rockford Public Library to support those in the community battling hardship who want to earn their high school diploma later in life.
Over 30% of Rockford residents do not have diplomas because of personal hardships, according to Loomis.
The program's Development Director, Brook Loomis, said there were over 175 people enrolled this year.
'I feel like every time we come to these ceremonies, it almost feels more like a pep rally,' explained Loomis. 'Yeah, it brings you to tears because, you see, multi-generational families graduating together.'
'I think it really takes away those barriers that they might have had before,' Loomis continued. 'That's really what we've found with this program is that we allow students to do it on their terms.'
One of the program's academic coaches could not be prouder of his students.
'I've been with this program for about eight years, and to see a lot of our students come from where they were to actually getting a diploma,' said Academic Coach Gibson Garcon. 'Some of them didn't even think it was possible.'
The program will continue to provide Rockford residents a second chance, with 100 people already enrolled for next year's classes.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Hashtags

General

#AdultHighSchoolProgram

#WTVO

#RockfordPublicLibrary

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Yahoo

a day ago

Yahoo

Juneteenth celebrated at Civic Plaza

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The City of Albuquerque celebrated Juneteenth at Civic Plaza Saturday. The holiday is this Thursday and honors the day slavery ended in the United States when, in 1865, the slaves in Galveston, Texas, were freed. Saturday's event is called Rooted in Selience: Rising in Unity and features powerful performances and activities, vendors, and all uplifting Black culture. People who came out shared what Juneteenth means to them. PHOTOS: No Kings Rally at Mariposa Basin Park 'It means our freedom, that we fought for our freedom all these years. We still fight for them,' said an attendee. The Juneteenth celebration is free to attend and is scheduled to continue at Civic Plaza until 11:00 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.