I have written about Tremayne before, nearly two years ago. A link to that post follows this one. Today, Tremayne and I worked on his graduation speech that he will deliver to our GED graduation this coming Tuesday. Days like these, few and far between, make everything worthwhile. I am posting his speech here, as I am too excited to wait for him to give it in a few days:
Good evening, my name is Tremayne
Harmon and I want to tell you a little about myself and how I found myself at
Moraine Valley College and the GED program. I was born in Chicago, but I
was raised in Youngstown, Ohio. My father left our home at an early age, so I
was raised by a single mother. Coming up in the streets with no father
figure and little financial support, I did what I needed to do to survive.
School didn’t buy food, and I felt that it was not important at that time in my
life. Even though I eventually got out of Youngstown, others did not. My
sister was murdered at 24. A friend, John, attempted to rob someone and was
killed. Another friend, Mark, was executed by the State of Ohio just three
years ago. He called me an hour before they put him to death.
Thank God I got out of Youngstown, Ohio. If I
hadn’t I don’t believe I would be here now.
When I was 21, after a year and a
half in juvenile detention, I reconnected with my father in Chicago and eventually
received a job with the railroad, but it was through a contractor. I
worked there for five years and was getting my life together; at least I
thought it was all coming together. Over time, the contractors lost their bid
to work for the railroad and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad took
over. With my work experience and the strong work ethic I had developed, an
opportunity arose that would allow me to work for this new railroad and keep a
good job, but there was one small catch. Even though I had all of the qualifications
to do the job well, I lacked the required high school education! I was
very frustrated. I was losing my job temporarily, but the railroad said it
would hold my job while I pursued my GED. I was nervous at the thought of
returning to school at this point in my life, and I knew they couldn’t hold the
job for me forever. With the amazing support of my family, I decided to
find a program. My wife researched some schools and found out that this
program was starting soon. There were other schools available, but she
thought this school had the best resources and least distractions (I really
think she thought there were less attractive women in the suburbs – if only she
knew! Just kidding honey).
By receiving a massive amount of help from
Dean Michael, Miss Karen, Miss Swift, Miss Jessica, Miss K and all the other teachers and staff, I eventually made it
through and I was able to earn my GED. It wasn’t easy though. It took me
a whole year just to get up the nerve to attempt my first GED test. It was
tough getting down here to classes sometimes, and being unemployed put a lot of
pressure on me and my family. I took many courses and made steady and gradual
progress though. I took the test a few more times and started passing several
of the sections. Being out of school for 25 years, this gave me a lot of
encouragement. Math was hardest! When I received my final math results from my
wife over the phone, I ran into school crying thanking
Jesus! A grown man crying – please don’t tell the guys at 14th and
Canal St.! The last hurdle was my essay – Miss K and Miss Jessica never let me
give up and I passed this last test a year and a half later after I made that
first move to get back to work and save my job.
Derek and Latrese, the terminal
managers were excited and had me reapply for my job. Two months later, I was
back to work with a career now ahead of me. Six months later, I was promoted to
being a conductor with better pay, better hours, and weekends off. Thank you
Jesus again.
The late Nelson Mandela said
that education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the
world. Moraine Valley College provided an excellent avenue for me to
achieve my educational goals. As an adult, it’s hard to go back to
school. Hard work and never giving up is a necessity. By never giving up,
all impossibilities become possibilities.
I waited until I was forced to make
these changes – if you are out there now in the audience, or know someone who
needs to complete their GED, please don’t wait. Moraine Valley is the place you
need to be, don’t look anywhere else. The support here is like that of a
family; people will reach out to you and encourage to keep going. Coming from
where I came from to where I am now tells me it is nothing but God – He put all
these people in my life and he will put them in your life too. All you have to
do is believe and make the effort.
Thank you.
