Jordan started her GED journey in September 2016 after deciding she wanted something outside of the traditional high school environment.
“I was in a center-based gifted program from 2nd to 8th grade, I was bored with traditional education and felt capable of graduating in my ninth grade year.”
Jordan started classes at Chesterfield County Public Schools Adult Continuing Education Program in Chesterfield, Virginia at 15 years old. Jordan says she learned about Chesterfield’s program while spending time at the related tech center where her mother is employed.
“I was in a GED prep course, twice a week for 3 or 4 hours each day. It covered all subjects on the GED test and the class was very individualized and small. The teacher also gave us the GED Ready practice tests to see our progress in each subject.”
Jordan earned her GED credential in October 2016 meeting the College Ready score levels in RLA, Math and Science. She earned College Ready + Credit in Social Studies.
“I knew about it (the College Ready score levels) before taking the GED, I think it put extra pressure on me to get College Ready scores when I took the test but I was confident that I could get them.”
She had already made plans to pursue a degree related to digital arts and the College Ready scores gave her an extra boost of confidence about her academic and career goals.
“Because I took a digital arts class during my GED prep course I felt prepared for college level work.”
Jordan enrolled in John Tyler Community College to take core classes that she could use in a transfer to a four-year university for a bachelor’s degree. At the community college she was also able to get her Adobe certification after demonstrating her proficiency with Adobe Systems software for digital media.
She is now enrolled in Longwood University as a Graphic and Animation Design major. Jordan believes the GED program successfully prepared her for college and her future career.
“There’s a common stigma that the GED isn’t as good as a high school diploma and it is completely false. The GED is not a quick and easy fix, the tests are difficult and with the College Ready score levels it’s more accelerated.”