Lone Star College-Montgomery’s annual GED Graduation Ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 14, at 6:30 p.m., in the Mainstage Theatre, located in the college’s Performing Arts Center (Building D).
The ceremony honors the 176 students who took the college’s GED preparation course and passed the exam during the last year, as well as the 49 students who received a grant to continue their studies as part of the college’s Accelerate Lone Star workforce certificate program. Their completion marks an important step in enhancing their future and that of the local workforce.
Attendees will hear from Maria Teresa Laurel, a 2014 GED graduate, who at the age of 17, with only an elementary school-level education, left her home in Coahuila, Mexico, to come to Houston to help support her parents. She became an American citizen and after her youngest child got married, returned to school to foster her lifelong interest of having a career in the healthcare field. Laurel was able to complete the Electrocardiogram (ECG) program through a grant offered by the Accelerate Lone Star initiative.
“Walking across the stage to receive my GED is my dream,” she said. “I hope to be a shining light to my grandchildren. I am more confident and very excited about continuing my education.”
Attendees will also hear from Linda G. Vega with The Vega Law Firm in Houston. A native of Texas, Vega has represented many Hispanic and immigration agencies before U.S. Congress and works with organizations such as the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officers and the Immigration Agency of Houston.
Dr. Austin A. Lane, president of LSC-Montgomery, will preside over the ceremony. A reception for the graduates and their family and friends will take place in the same location immediately following the ceremony.
The GED program — first developed to provide returning World War II veterans with an opportunity to earn high school credentials — has served as a bridge to education and employment opportunities for an estimated 15 million since 1942. Today, approximately one in seven high school diplomas issued in the United States each year is a GED diploma.
LSC-Montgomery offers the GED review course and the GED test — both in English and in Spanish at Lone Star College-Conroe Center. Students must be 17 years of age or have parent or guardian permission to take either one.
For more information about the college’s GED program, call the continuing education office at (936) 273-7446; or visit www.LoneStar.edu/GED.
Accelerate Lone Star is a grant program that provides qualifying Lone Star College System students with tuition and books to earn a workforce certificate while building core skills in math, reading, and language during a coinciding support class. Intensive advising keeps students on-track for program completion, and ultimately, job placement.
For more information about Accelerate Lone Star, contact Martin Sanchez, Accelerate Lone Star advisor, at (936) 521-4552; or Esther Stokes, Accelerate Lone Star coordinator, at (936) 521-4543; or visit www.LoneStar.edu/abeinnovation.
LSC-Montgomery is located at 3200 College Park Drive, one-half mile west of Interstate 45, between Conroe and The Woodlands. For more information about the college, call 936.273.7000, or visit www.LoneStar.edu/montgomery.
Lone Star College System has been opening doors to a better community for 40 years. Founded in 1973, LSCS remains steadfast in its commitment to student success and credential completion. Today, with 78,000 students in credit classes, and a total enrollment of more than 90,000, Lone Star College System is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and one of the fastest-growing community college systems in the nation. Dr. Richard Carpenter is the chancellor of LSCS, which consists of six colleges including LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, LSC-Tomball and LSC-University Park, seven centers, LSC-University Center at Montgomery, LSC-University Center at University Park, Lone Star Corporate College, and LSC-Online. To learn more visit LoneStar.edu.