I Don't Believe I'm Smart Enough

What motivated you to get your GED degree? I am motivated to get my GED because I want a better future for myself and future children. I don’t want to struggle like my parents did. I want to be content in life.

How have your friends and family helped you? My family and long term boyfriend have encouraged me to get my GED since I dropped out. My boyfriend bought me a GED book and told me to study it everyday for atleast 20 minutes. My mother helps me study and supports me.

What problems have you faced? I have a problem with failure. I never think I’m good enough or smart enough to pass the GED exam. Though I get told I’m a smart girl, I can’t seem to believe it considering I dropped out of school.

What do you hope to gain from getting your GED degree? After I get my GED I hope to become a Kindergarten teacher. I love children. It is my dream to work with them, and it always has been.

Do you have more to your story? I dropped out of school at the age of 16. My grandpa was struggling with emphysema and I knew there wasn’t much time left. He picked me up from school everyday. One day I just told him I wasn’t going back--that I was going to stay home and help take care of him. He didn’t argue because he knew that it was my decision, but he did encourage me to go back someday. A few months later he passed away. He was my best friend and confidant. I was planning on going back to school when my great grandma passed away in her nursing home. I decided to just drop out for good and be with my family because they needed me. Months passed and I began helping out around the house, spending a lot of time with family and volunteering at my mom’s work occasionally. After a year had passed, I had not completely healed from the loss of my two loved ones, but I had moved on in life. It had gotten easier. Then suddenly my father passed away unexpectedly on my 17th birthday. This really hurt me a great deal and put me in depression. I am now almost 18 years old and still don’t have my GED.