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Take two in Adult 22+
BOARDMAN
Adult 22+ gives adult students a second chance to get their high-school diplomas in Ohio, said Tony Lucente, Mahoning Unlimited Classroom instructor.
Adult 22+ is a free program offered to Ohio residents, 22 and older, who did not earn their high-school diploma.
It is offered at Mahoning County High School in Youngstown and the Mahoning Unlimited Classroom inside Southern Park Mall.
Eight adults have successfully gone through the program and graduated. Currently, 26 students are enrolled in Adult 22+.
Mahoning Unlimited Classroom graduate Kevin Wilson, 35, of Struthers, said the Adult 22+ program provided him an opportunity to not only get his high-school diploma, but also potentially expand his expertise to a trade. He is currently considering learning welding or certified mechanics.
“It was actually easy,” he said about his recent completion of four years’ worth of a high-school education in only six months.
The process was simple, Wilson explained, with a walk-in application to start, an email containing all the information necessary to participate in the program and another email informing Wilson his diploma was ready to pick up.
He faced few challenges with the support of his three children – age 18, 17 and 16 – and supportive wife encouraging him to get his diploma more than 15 years after his first expected graduation date.
“It was quite a change to see the difference in high-school classes now compared to when I was in high school,” Wilson observed.
Now Wilson’s children are attending Mahoning Unlimited Classroom.
Brad Justice, Mahoning Unlimited Classroom principal, said seeing students like Wilson succeed is the reason behind what he does.
“It’s all about helping the kids and adults,” he said. “I have the best staff here, and they all care so much for the students.”
Lucente mirrored Justice’s sentiment.
“I love seeing [students] come in and get that diploma and seeing how happy they are when they bring in their families and take pictures,” he said.