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Photos submitted by Susan Kessler // Graduates participating in the St. Johns River State College 2023 Adult Education graduation are, top row from left, Salvador Adams, Tinia Cardona, Sylas Smith, Ty Lingle and Michael Lapan as well as, bottom row from left, Debby Portillo, Kaylee Thornton, Damon Murray and Hannah Steward.
Submitted to the Daily News
Students earning their high school diplomas through St. Johns River State College were recently honored during the college’s annual adult education graduation.
The ceremony represented more than just passing an exam. It represented countless individual achievements, struggles and challenges that are the very fabric of every GED diploma.
Among the graduates was Interlachen resident Tinia Cardona, who at 17, has learned how to turn obstacles into opportunities. Cardona dropped out of high school after losing both of her parents in less than a year.
“I was in a headspace of not caring and thinking school wasn’t important,” Cardona said.
But with the help of her sister Destiny, Cardona said she was able to attain her GED and began to see the value in setting and achieving goals.
“I realized the road I was traveling on was not the path I wanted to take,” she said. “Knowing that my parents have passed and are not here physically led me to want to accomplish more and make them proud. I want to live a life worthy for them.”
Cardona’s instructor, Jarvis Wright, said being part of a student’s remarkable growth is the most rewarding aspect of teaching.
“She turned multiple obstacles into opportunities to achieve her goals,” Wright said. “There were times when she rode her bike to class in the rain because she was determined to finish school. I believe that I started out motivating her, but in the end, she became my motivation.”
In the next 10 years, Cardona envisions a career as a cosmetologist, more fishing and enjoying life. She has learned anyone can achieve anything if they put their mind to it. “Don’t put off tomorrow what you can do today,” Cardona advises. “You just have to get up and do it.”
The ceremony’s guest speaker was SJR State alumnus Delton Nealy, who shared his message of how “trials are temporary, but quitting lasts forever.”
At 46, Nealy earned his associate degree in engineering technology from SJR State after realizing that “preaching higher education” to his children would have more of an impact if he led by example.
