Berkeley Leader

As she sits in the front row of Cane Bay High’s auditorium, a couple of happy tears are escaping Tina Driggers.

She is sitting in between two classmates who have become her friends; one is sporting a blue cap and gown and the other is matching Driggers in a green cap and gown.

All the names of her fellow Adult Education graduates have already been called. They have all done their celebratory walk across the stage. Heather Taylor, Berkeley County School District’s Chief Administration Officer for Secondary Schools, has just finished certifying the graduates’ diplomas from the podium onstage.

Now there is only one thing left to do: the graduates stand up and are instructed to turn their tassels from the right side of the cap to the left. This is a celebratory moment in graduation ceremonies as the tassel symbolizes success, and turning the tassels represents the graduates moving on to a new stage of their lives.

Driggers does so – all while dabbing the tears; she has waited 24 years for this moment. Going back to school was not easy, but it was something Driggers really wanted to do.

“It feels wonderful,” she said, adding, “This is a very big accomplishment for me.”

Driggers is a Summerville resident. She turns 44 this year.

Last year she made a brave decision to go back to school to get her High School Equivalency Diploma (or GED), and the biggest thing she learned from the experience: “You can do anything you put your mind to.”

Berkeley County School District’s Adult Education program is geared toward Berkeley County residents 17 years of age and older. Adult Education offers an English as a Second Language program, a High School Diploma program and a High School Equivalency Diploma/GED program. BCSD’s Adult Education program classes are conducted at 229 East Main Street in Moncks Corner and at the Fishburne Educational Center off of Murray Drive in Hanahan.

Her journey to head back to school is an emotional one for Driggers, who attended Stratford High as a teenager. Driggers was 15 years old when her father passed away. She kept attending school up until her senior year of high school, when hardships began to take a toll on her; she stopped going to school, lost a lot of friends and “went down a bad road.”

Driggers said when she became a mom in her 20s she was determined to go back to school but kept putting it off.

She has worked hard to get her life back on track. Driggers worked a couple of different jobs after leaving high school – the first one was a Bingo attendant for 20 years, which she enjoyed but noted she did not have a lot to show for it because it did not provide benefits like a 401K.

“It was just a paycheck,” she said.

She left the job when she was needed at home with her family and then got a job at a Dollar Tree, where she got hurt after a crate cart rolled over her foot in 2019 – she is still receiving physical therapy for the incident.

While out of work following her injury, Driggers had a lot of time to think about going back to school. Both of her children are grown now, so with the support of her family, she finally made the leap and started classes at BCSD Adult Education last August.

“I set my mind to it, and I did it,” she said. “I told my kids, ‘I’m going to do this for y’all.’”

Driggers said going back to school is a lot different from what she remembered as a teenager. With Adult Education, she took the four core subject areas – social studies, math, English and science. Most of her classes were from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. (and occasionally from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. if she missed a day and needed to catch up). She was also able to do independent learning from home on her Chromebook.

While her family cheered her on, she doted on Adult Education’s staff.

“Without this family here, I wouldn’t be able to do it,” she said.

She particularly enjoyed English because she likes to read, while math was her biggest fear. Fortunately, Driggers was able to receive instruction from Brandi VanGorder, who found a way last year to start providing virtual math classes.

“Without her, I don’t know what I’d do,” Driggers said. “It was wonderful because she worked so hard with us on that math – and I feared that math.”

Driggers passed English and math on the first try but struggled with social studies, saying it took her multiple attempts to pass the test. The last time she took the test, she sat in her car in the parking lot and waited until she could check her scores online.

As soon as she saw her score, she called her social studies teacher to share the good news.

“I did it – I did it on my own,” Driggers said.

The experience was hard, but “well worth it,” she said. Her family threw her a joint graduation party with her niece, who had just graduated from Cane Bay High. Her mother-in-law also gifted her with a class ring.

“It’s such a wonderful journey for me,” Driggers said.

In addition to the teachers, Driggers said Adult Education students receive a lot of support from Dr. Monica Dixon-Houston, director of adult and community education for the school district.

“Dr. Houston encouraged us all – ‘you can do this…just keep striving,’” Driggers said, adding, “They’re all wonderful people here.”

Now Driggers is planning to continue her education at Trident Technical College; she wants to become a certified nursing assistant and help the elderly.

“I know I have a good, pure heart,” she said. “I feel like these elderly people are not getting treated like they should be…They need that care.”

Driggers’ son was the first in the family to graduate high school (her husband, Roger, also previously went back and got his diploma some time ago) and went on to join the military. Her daughter has currently not finished school, so now Driggers is encouraging her to go back – and is hopeful her experience will inspire her daughter to do so.

“I want her to get her education,” she said.

She received her diploma in the mail in May. When she got it, she brought her diploma to the Adult Education building in Moncks Corner to show it to her teachers – as well as to her former classmates.

“I was so proud of it,” she said.

Driggers’ advice to other residents thinking about going back to school: “You have to want to do it.” She also added that they would receive no judgement from the Adult Education staff.

“They’re welcoming and they don’t judge you – they just welcome you and help you,” she said. “Just do it. Don’t doubt yourself.”

They went back, so can you: Click to learn more about Berkeley County School District’s Adult Education program.

Also, be sure to check out the Photo Gallery of the Adult Education 2022 graduation, held June 23 at Cane Bay High.

 

Monica Kreber

kreberm@bcsdschools.net

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