Diplomas tell of obstacles overcome

There were no caps and gowns, only pink lapel flowers marking the 2005 graduates of the GED Plus program at a ceremony Tuesday night -- and not even a blaring fire alarm could spoil the occasion.

''Nothing distracts us from our missions," state Representative Gloria Fox shouted over the alarm, set off accidentally during the ceremony at Youth Opportunity Boston. ''Our graduates are here because they have faced those obstacles and gotten over it."

For each of the 16 graduates, all of whom left high school early, many who had witnessed violence or death, and some who brought their children to the celebration, the path had been different -- but the end result was now the same.

De'Sean Martin, who left John D. O'Bryant School a year ago during his junior year, carried his motivation to return to schooling in his arms as he received his GED high school equivalency diploma.

''If I didn't have a daughter, I don't think I'd be here right now," said Martin, holding his daughter, Denaesha, 1. ''It took her for me to start realizing I had to do something."

Martin grew up in Roxbury, living with a supportive mother and siblings, but as he started his sophomore year of school, the lure of the streets became stronger.

''There was always something to do besides school," said Martin, who said he had attended classes only a couple of times a week and spent many hours outside with his friends. ''You get caught up in the streets; it pulls you away from what you're supposed to be doing."

By his junior year, counselors advised him he would be better off trying to get his GED, and at 18, Martin will now look to enroll in college courses to become a computer programmer or technician.

His cousin, Aaron Bruton, will also look to take college courses after receiving his GED. Though currently working in carpentry, he is interested in graphic design.

Bruton left East Boston High School during his senior year because he didn't think his teachers were receptive to his needs. Though he attended several high schools including Catholic school, he said the circumstances never changed.

''If you're not the teacher's favorite kid, there's certain things that don't apply to you," Bruton said.

But for Bruton, a Roxbury resident, receiving his diploma at 23 was a way to show his 2-year-old daughter, Naishay, what success and hard work really mean.

Fox presented Martin and Bruton with a certificate signed by the speaker of the House congratulating them on receiving their degrees. ''Every young lady needs a strong daddy," Fox told the cousins.

GED Plus teacher Luc Schuster addressed the graduates, explaining what he likes and dislikes about the standardized test.

Though he called the exam an ''impersonal test made up entirely of multiple choice questions," he said he thinks it is beneficial because students must earn it.

''The fact that it's hard makes receiving it so fulfilling," Schuster said.

''No one can say you coasted through. You earned this on your own."

The GED Plus program is run by a collaboration of neighborhood organizations including Ensuring Stability through Action in our Community, Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses, and Roxbury Youthworks Inc. Since the program began in 1997, about 120 students have earned diplomas. The program is run through grants from the city as well as donations from organizations including the Boston Red Sox.

The program enrolled 53 students in 2005 and graduated 16, and next year's goal is for 25 graduates, Ensuring Stability executive director Robert Pulster said.

Pulster said the program will be offering three afternoon classes at Youth Opportunity Boston in Roxbury next year, as well as morning and evening classes in Egleston Square.

Kathy Kihanya, director of the GED Plus program, said she has seen both tragedy and triumph in her four years with the program. Between graduation ceremonies, three students have been shot and a former student died.

''We have to do what we can to make that stop happening," Kihanya said.

Though Kihanya has worked as a Boston public school teacher for many years, teaching both sixth and eighth grades, she said her experience with GED Plus is her favorite so far.

''Even though some of the progress is slow," she said, ''the rewards are greater because of that."