Destiny Graham said completing Connecting Henry’s GED program has helped to increase her confidence in her abilities, and has given her hope for the future.

  “I look forward to learning more and becoming more,” said Graham. “Since graduating, I truly see the value of education and how, if you apply yourself and allow people to positively influence you, nothing can stand in your way.”

  Graham is one of the 36 newest graduates from Connecting Henry’s Students Working to Achieve Greatness program, or S.W.A.G. The students officially graduated during a ceremony July 11 at the Henry County Performing Arts Center in McDonough.

  S.W.A.G. is a workforce-development program for Henry County residents, ages 16-24 years old.

  Graham was among several graduates who addressed family members and friends in attendance. During her remarks, she reflected on what led her to enter the S.W.A.G. program.

  “Before coming to S.W.A.G., I could not see a future for myself, and it was like looking into darkness,” said Graham. “I would think that I didn’t deserve a bright future because of my struggles with school. I felt like achieving this one goal was impossible. I tried several approaches to getting my GED, but none of them gave me what I needed.”

  Graham said she initially struggled with S.W.A.G., and almost left the program for good. Nevertheless, she put her pride aside and forged ahead in S.W.A.G. She is now a student at Saint Leo University, and also garnered one of two Outstanding Improvement awards at the graduation, along with fellow graduate Juan Magan.

  “I studied hard,” said Graham. “I participated. I was able to work in the program and put my pride away, and I realized I was the one holding myself back.”

  Other graduates who received honors during the ceremony include: Noah Hall, Top Academic Excellence; Darian Bailey, Honorable Mention in Math and Outstanding Work Experience Participation; Aaron Duckett, Honorable Mention in Reasoning Through Language Arts; and Albert Aruffo, Honorable Mention in Social Studies.

  Connecting Henry Executive Director Susan Crumbley commended the graduates for their achievements. She emphasized the impact that S.W.A.G., now in its fifth year, has had on its participants.

  “It’s very significant, and it changes their life,” she said. “It gives them a step in the right direction for their careers.”

  Crumbley acknowledged that many of the S.W.A.G. graduates “had barriers to overcome” en route to obtaining their GEDs. Some of them, she said, were high-school dropouts, while others are young parents or students who struggled academically.

  S.W.A.G. Director Barbara Coleman beamed with excitement as she greeted each graduate during the ceremony. She described S.W.A.G. as “more than a GED program” for those who complete it.

  “We will help them to earn a GED and either go on to – post-secondary – some sort of training, or we will help them find a job,” said Coleman. “We have several students actually in college. A student earning a GED can do anything a student that earned a high-school diploma can. We have them in all walks of life. Most of our students are working. But several of them have gone on to post-secondary or some sort of training.”

  Coleman said S.W.A.G. helps people to make positive changes for the future, even when others in their lives might have doubted their ability to do so.

  “For them to say that a GED is nothing, is a myth,” she said. “We want to dispel that myth, because it is hard work. I mean, there’s calculus on the GED. There’s algebra.”

  Coleman said the program is filled with success stories of people who have endured difficult circumstances and have worked to achieve their goals. She said the length of a student’s participation in S.W.A.G. depends on his or her prior knowledge and their attendance in class.

  “Each student is different,” said Coleman. “We’ve had some as little as three weeks, and we’ve had some, of course, a lot longer.”

  Coleman said 32 students in this year’s S.W.A.G. program obtained jobs after they finished their classes. She said S.W.A.G. also recently expanded prospects for its students through its new customer-service program, which was launched in January.

  “That customer-service program was a nationally-recognized credential through the American Hotel and Lodging Institute,” she said. “We had eight students that actually completed the guest-service and customer-service certification.”

  S.W.A.G., continued Coleman, also recently kicked off its new maintenance-employee certification program.

  “So far, we have 12 students that entered,” she said. “With this program, they will gain entry-level skills in plumbing, electrical, HVAC and general maintenance. We are partnering with Lowe’s to bring this about, and we are looking forward to putting these students to work as a maintenance employee at some place within the community.”

  Crumbley added that S.W.A.G. is funded completely through grants, contributions and in-kind support.

  “We have several different grants, and we have partners in the community that pour into our program as well, and we couldn’t do it without our community partners,” she said.

  Retired WSB-TV news anchor Monica Kaufman Pearson served as the keynote speaker for the  graduation. Pearson, who lives in Henry County, encouraged the graduates to educate themselves on the best jobs available, and to “find time to be a blessing to others.”

  “I want you to volunteer at your church or at a school within your community,” she said. “It’s good business, too. Companies like to brag about what they’re giving back to the communities in which they earn their living. They want communities to know that they don’t just make their money there, but they invest their time and money into making the community better.”

  Maranda Hardeman, 19, of Stockbridge completed S.W.A.G. in April and received the Director’s Award Thursday. She said prior to entering the program, she was going through a divorce while raising her daughter Quinn, now three years old.

  Hardeman said S.W.A.G. helped her come up with a “step-by-step life plan” to push herself forward.

  “I was ready to do something with my life,” she said. “I need to set a good example for her and show her that although I may not have done things in the right order, I was still able to reach my goals.”