The Adult Education program at West Georgia Technical College (WGTC) celebrated graduates with a commencement ceremony held Friday, May 31, at the Donald W. Nixon Centre for the Performing and Visual Arts in Newnan.

Vicki Kaiser, Chief Operating Officer for Piedmont Newnan Hospital, gave the keynote speech, sharing her personal journey on how earning her GED set her on a path to success.

“Everyone here has their unique story, filled with ups and downs, triumphs and tragedies, but you all share a common theme of perseverance,” Kaiser said. “You’ve faced challenges but pushed through them to get to this moment, which is no small feat. Your diploma shows you’re willing to work hard to get somewhere. Don’t think of this as the end of a journey. Think of it as the beginning of a whole new life.”

217 students earned a GED® or HiSET diploma or English as a Second Language (ESL) certification for the 2023 – 2024 school year. 126 of those students took part in Friday night’s ceremony in front of a packed house of family, friends, and supporters.

“We’re incredibly proud of our graduates,” Dean of Adult Education Rebecca Wheeler said. “Each graduate's journey shows their resilience and commitment to learning, and we can't wait to see the great things they'll do in our community and beyond.”

Many adult education graduates will continue their educational journey as students at WGTC. For more information about the Adult Education program visit www.westgatech.edu/adult-education.

West Georgia Technical College, with campuses in Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Haralson, and Troup counties and class sites in Heard and Meriwether counties, offers more than 120 associate degree, diploma, and technical certificate programs of study. A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, West Georgia Tech is one of the largest of the state’s 22 technical colleges. For more information, please visit www.westgatech.edu.