Adult Education Helped Heather Aim Higher
When Heather Simmons learned about The Excel Center®, a free high school for adults, she’d been out of high school for 18 years, working in the fast food industry. At 35 years old, she wanted more for herself and her family. “I had been on my own since 15 years...
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Supporting Family While Earning a Diploma
When Gary Moore was 11 years old, his mother became ill, and he dropped out of school to work and help support his younger sisters. As his siblings grew older, Gary thought he might return to school, until his family suffered more hardship. “After my...
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The Excel Center celebrates 3,000th Graduate
The Excel Center, a unique high school that provides adults the opportunity to earn a Core 40 diploma, plans to celebrate surpassing 3,000 graduates at its winter graduation ceremonies on February 15 and 16. Having opened its first location in...
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Disabilities Aren’t Stopping this Excel Center Student
Jacob Barrett, a valued associate at the Goodwill store in Shelbyville, originally graduated from the Indiana School for the Blind. He decided to pursue a life skills path that focused on achieving independence as an adult rather than a Core 40 diploma. In addition to...
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The Excel Center—A Look Back at our adult high school
In 2010, Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana recognized that over half-a-million adults in Indiana lacked a high school diploma. Having already opened Indianapolis Metropolitan High School in 2004, a public charter school for traditional-aged students that...
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Jennifer Dunn Pursues Her Diploma Again
After graduating from high school, you may think you’d never have to return. Jennifer Dunn didn’t believe she would have to either. She graduated from a private school in 1998, but a few years later found out that all of the records were lost when she tried to...
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Meet Graduate Denise Floyd
Denise Floyd enrolled at The Excel Center when she was nearly 30 years old. She had previously left high school after falling behind in her classes. Denise supported her family working various odd jobs, but she wanted a career. “I realized that without my high school...
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Chevon Maddix Graduation Speech, Class of 2017
The Excel Center recognized its 2016-17 graduates in ceremonies across central and southern Indiana this past January. They join more than 2,300 other graduates throughout central Indiana who’ve also received a Core 40 high school diploma from The Excel Center. Chevon...
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Sisters Graduate Together at The Excel Center
When Alia Schleppenbach enrolled at The Excel Center in Lafayette in April 2016, she had no idea her mother would pass away just a few months later. Alia left a private high school when she was 16 years old. She had been bullied by other students and could no longer...
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