NJC honors eight GED graduates who took the road less traveled

Eight GED graduates were recognized at Northeastern Junior College on May 28, and the ceremony highlighted more than a diploma. In Sterling and across Logan County, the adult education track at NJC has become a practical route for people who need a second chance at school, a better shot at work, or a credential that fits around jobs and family responsibilities.

The college’s Adult and Community Education Center says its mission is to help adult learners build academic and language skills so they can move into higher education or advance in the workforce. That work includes GED and ESL programming, digital literacy instruction, and Microsoft Office courses offered in the fall and spring. NJC says Adult Basic Education is open to anyone 17 or older who is not enrolled in another school, with GED preparation beginning through an assessment and orientation day that places students at the right academic level.

The path is built to be flexible because the students often need it that way. NJC says the time required to finish GED preparation varies from student to student, and eligible learners can use distance learning options. The ACE department also houses a family-friendly study space for parents, a small but telling detail about who this program is designed to serve. The GED Testing Center in Hays Student Center serves Northeast Colorado as an authorized testing site, keeping the final step close to home for students who may already be balancing work, child care and transportation.

That local role sits inside a larger institutional history. NJC was founded in March 1941 as Sterling Junior College, then changed its name in 1950 to reflect a wider service area. The college says it now serves about 900 full-time students and more than 2,000 part-time students, with the Adult and Community Education Center moving into Knowles Hall in June 2021. In other words, adult education is not an add-on at NJC; it has a permanent place on campus and in the college’s broader mission.

For the eight graduates honored May 28, the ceremony marked the point where past setbacks stopped defining the future. NJC says its Adult Basic Education program is meant to help students move from GED completion into degree or certificate programs, and that progression matters in Logan County, where a credential can open doors to college, training and steadier work.