Friday, June 24, 2011
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Donald Robinson, a keynote speaker at the Adult Basic and Literacy Education Program commencement ceremony, accepts his diploma from Denise Vaclav-Danko, ABLE director. The ceremony was Thursday at Chaney High School in Youngstown.
By Jeanne Starmack
YOUNGSTOWN
Donald Robinson had family members who came all the way from South Carolina and Indianapolis to see him graduate.
But Robinson himself had come further than most graduates to get there.
After 11 years of employment, Robinson, 36, lost his job in 2009’s economic downturn. He went to a job fair, where someone told him he’d be better off looking for another job if he had his GED.
Because he was short one credit, he hadn’t graduated high school. “That was 16 years ago,” Robinson told the crowd who’d gathered in Chaney High School’s audtiorium Thursday evening to celebrate with graduates of the Youngstown City Schools Adult Basic and Literacy Education Program.
In January, Robinson joined ABLE and received his GED in two months.
With interests in computers and making music, he plans to continue his education.
“The program does work,” he told fellow graduates — about 40 turned up for the commencement out of 192 who graduated this year. The commencement also honored outstanding students of the English for Speakers of Other Languages Program and four new United States citizens — Joyce Felton from Indonesia, Adriana Bishara from Mexico, Chen Jiang from China and Linh Pham from Vietnam.
“People sometimes make excuses, and they can hold a person back,” Robinson said.
“But drive and determination are your friends,” he continued.
That drive and determination, said ABLE coordinator Mia Panno, stem from brains, heart and courage, which the program graduates all have.
It would be easy to give up and not come to classes, she said, “when you live at the rescue mission and have to walk.”
Family influence and support also were critical, speakers said — Ahmed Khodari, from Egypt, said his father believed he should continue his education in the United States.
“But I had fear,” Khodari said. “I can’t speak English — what am I doing here?”
But he didn’t want to let his father down. He graduated high school and went to Youngstown State University, majoring in mechanical engineering. He graduated in 2008 but decided he needed to improve and refresh his English.
He said the ABLE English Center, at John Knox Presbyterian Church on Market Street, helped him gain confidence.
Marcia Kennedy, who moved to the United States from Brazil six years ago after marrying an American, joined the English Center in 2007.
“Without the English Center, I would never feel the confidence I have to be here tonight, talking in front of all of you,” she said.
The center is one of 13 ABLE locations in Mahoning County, where adults 18 and older can take day or night classes, Panno said.
Panno presented the graduates. When they walked across the stage, it seemed the hoots and hollers were a little louder and the clapping was a little longer for those who’d come further than most.