A group of graduates crossed the stage at the Brooklyn Public Library’s central branch and received their diplomas at an adult learners commencement ceremony on June 27.
After taking courses at the central library, the students were awarded their High School Equivalency Diploma or certificates in medical billing or food safety and headed off to a new stage in their lives.
Fritzi Bodenheimer, press officer for BPL, said the ceremony was an extra-special occasion as adult learners often face additional challenges while trying to obtain their degree.
One student speaker, Mecole Williams, took the stage and shared her journey to finishing her degree while also being a mother to six children.
“It’s special because when you go to school as an adult, probably something happened earlier in your life — you had financial trouble or whatever it was that you didn’t finish. So there’s been that sort of longing or waiting that a lot of students talked about,” she told Brooklyn Paper.
Adult learners often don’t get a chance to actually walk the stage — that’s why the library was eager to celebrate their hard working students, Bodenheimer said.
“A lot of times when you’re an adult you sort of take classes and you get your diploma in the mail and you never get the opportunity to walk across the stage, wear a cap and gown and hear pomp and circumstance, you don’t get that,” she said.
The Adult Learning Center within the library network offer an extensive list programs through the year, including preparation and testing for high school equivalency degrees, college and career aid, English courses and business services.
According to Bodenheimer, graduation gives the students a gateway to opportunities within their vocation as a lot of jobs require their employees to have a certain level of education in order to succeed in the field.
