A-B Tech graduate shares second chance through adult education

Cherie Ostmann walked into A-B Tech’s June 4 High School Equivalency and Adult High School graduation ceremony with a message Buncombe County adults can use right away: a stalled transcript does not have to stay stalled. After fear kept her from enrolling and a controlling relationship delayed her progress, she started the Adult High School program in February, found that many of her credits transferred and finished with just one environmental science class left. She also failed her first placement test before instructors helped her pass, turning a path that once felt out of reach into a diploma.

For adults who think they need to start over from nothing, A-B Tech’s process is more practical than that. The college says Adult High School courses are free and offered online through Apex software. Students must submit official transcripts first so prior credits can be evaluated, which can shorten the route to completion for people who already have some high school work behind them. The program has partnered with Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina since 2020, and Goodwill provides a full-time Access Center Career Coach for ongoing mentorship and support.

A-B Tech’s adult education menu also includes High School Equivalency options such as GED and HiSET, plus English Language Acquisition classes and other support services. When students complete Adult High School, the diploma is issued jointly by A-B Tech and either Buncombe County Schools or Asheville City Schools, depending on the student’s situation. North Carolina Community Colleges says this route is free and centers on core subjects including reading, science and mathematics, a reminder that the credential is built to help adults return to the workforce with a stronger academic base.

That broader value was on display in A-B Tech’s 2026 recognition ceremony at the A-B Tech/Mission Health Conference Center. The college used Ostmann’s story to show how small breaks in the barrier can matter: transferred credits, a coach, a passing test after an early failure, and one final environmental science class. The same adult education system drew wider attention after Hurricane Helene, when more than 100 students were recognized in A-B Tech’s June 5, 2025 adult high school ceremony. In Buncombe County, where recovery, jobs and living costs remain daily pressures, that kind of second chance can change the course of a working life.