CUNY's adult literacy students are a diverse group. They range in age from 16 to 75, and come from many different areas of the country and the world. Meet three students who got their GEDs and are now attending college classes at CUNY:

DONALD MILLER
When Donald’s GED teacher at York College first met him, he seemed like many other middle-aged students returning for their high school equivalency diploma. But his story is somewhat different: Donald had been homeless, addicted to drugs and panhandled for a living in the subways. Through an MTA Outreach Program, he put his life on “another track”. He enrolled in the GED Program, passed the test with a very high score and was accepted to York College as a degree student where he intends to study computer programming.

HELEN GRENADE
Helen had always dreamed of a job that she would just love to go to each day, but she was not qualified for such a job. Not wanting to let her dream die, she entered Hostos Community College to prepare for her GED. She found the classwork challenging and worried that passing the test was hopeless, but it wasn’t. She got her GED and is now applying the same intense eagerness to her studies as a college student at Hostos. She is studying public administration and has maintained a perfect GPA of 4.0.

RUTH RIVERA
Ruth dropped out of high school in the 10th grade due to family circumstances, and held two jobs to support herself. She worked in the Bronx Community College cafeteria for two years prior to enrolling in the adult literacy program there — dreaming of the day she would have her GED.

She started in an BE class, but soon made enough progress to be promoted to the GED level. On her first two tries at the exam, she passed all of the sections but math. Heartbroken, but determined, she doubled and tripled her efforts. Her hard work finally paid off. Ruth got her GED and entered Bronx Community College. She has now completed her first year at BCC, majoring in media technology.

The late Peter Jennings of ABC's "World News Tonight" was the keynote speaker at CUNY's June 19, 2003, GED Scholarship Ceremony.
Watch his speech here ->> [RealVideo required]