It’s never too late to get your diploma
Larry Inman, a 63-year old resident of Huber Heights, should have graduated with the Warrior Class of 1977. Instead, he dropped out of Wayne his junior year after struggling to keep up with grades.
He worked a few jobs before finally landing in the trades. Inman earned his master’s plumbing license in 1996 and kicked off a career with the City of Dayton, where he still works today.
Last year, Inman asked a friend who works in education how he could receive his GED. Instead, she shared details about the Ohio Department of Education’s Adult High School Diploma Program. The program, which is open to anyone 22 years or older, helps participants earn their high school diploma by taking online courses based on the graduation requirements for the years they should have been in high school.
“We have had students who have earned their diploma using this program. But most had been out of school for only a couple of years. The oldest one I’ve received should have graduated in 2006. But Larry should have graduated with the Class of 1977, several years before Huber Heights even became a city,” said Toni Gore, guidance counselor at Wayne.
Over the span of eight months, Inman maintained his full-time job while completing nearly 11 quarters worth of high school courses online. “I was working 40-45 hours a week and then doing online classes for 30-40 hours a week. There were no breaks. I logged in every day,” said Inman. “I could have just went and got my GED. But once I got into it (the Adult High School Diploma Program), I realized it was the right way to do it and I just stayed with it.”
On Sept. 21, 44 years after his friends and peers graduated without him, Inman donned a cap and gown and walked across the stage at Wayne’s Performing Arts Center, receiving his high school diploma and capturing a long-awaited milestone. “I’m so glad I stuck it out and got the actual diploma,” he beamed.