Ellie’s GED journey started during a difficult time in her life. While living in a shelter with her sons, she began learning on her own but realized that she needed help. Supporting her family was a challenge, especially without a car or stable home. Later when she got a job at Amazon, Ellie was excited to discover the GEDWorks™ program with costs covered by her employer. She felt like they read her mind!
Before, she was drowning in information with so much to learn in each of the four test subjects. She didn’t know which books to ask for at the library or how to access paid materials. With GEDWorks, Ellie got the tools and resources she needed to learn everything for the GED. Best of all, it was all online so she could study anytime. She didn’t have to worry about finding time and transportation to classes during cold winters with young kids in tow.
Ellie’s favorite part was her advisor, Carrie. Carrie was like an angel on her shoulder, guiding her through each test subject. Carrie encouraged Ellie when she felt stuck. Math was super tough; Ellie was glad to have a dedicated advisor on her side. She would have given up otherwise. One example of a breakthrough moment was when Ellie finally figured out what her weaknesses were in Math. Understanding what to focus on made it easier to learn important concepts by heart. That was a huge step forward in Ellie’s GED journey.
English isn’t Ellie’s first language so that was another barrier to overcome, especially for the Reasoning through Language Arts subject. She kept her dictionary in hand to look up words as she prepared for the test.
Ellie felt that GEDWorks also helped her gain confidence when the time came to take the test. First, she took multiple GEDReady® practice tests to be sure she was ready — it was worth the extra hustle. Knowing she had unlimited retakes calmed her nervousness for the real test too. She did her best one subject at a time and if she needed to give it another try, that was ok.
Ellie persevered until the day her test results came back as passing. She was so happy she jumped up and down! Her three sons — one in middle school, one in high school, one in college — were proud of their mom who worked so hard to set the example that education is truly the key to a brighter future.
Ellie is excited to continue her education and follow her dream career in medicine. She always loved science and is deciding between radiology or surgical tech as a college degree. Ellie remains grateful to Amazon for supporting her growth and education.