Key points:
In today’s competitive workforce, having a high school diploma can drastically improve your income and quality of life. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that high school graduates earn 25 percent more than those who haven’t graduated. Unfortunately, life sometimes gets in the way.
Currently, in St. Louis County, Missouri alone, more than 57,000 people over the age of 25 have no high school diploma. At St. Louis County Library (SLCL), we are committed to helping this subsection of the population continue their education and find fulfilling, well-paying careers. Through Gale Presents: Excel Adult High School, we provide adults with an easily accessible way to earn a high school diploma at no cost.
How the program works
SLCL launched our diploma completion program in late 2017, and since then we have had 122 graduates. We have funding from our library foundation, so we’re able to offer the program at no cost to 50 applicants a year. Though we advertise the scholarships, the primary way people learn about them is through word of mouth. We had a large surge of interest after we held a graduation ceremony last year. In one instance, a mother signed up after seeing her daughter’s experience with the program.
Before applicants begin the program, they complete a self-assessment and an interview. They earn credit for courses completed at other accredited high schools or homeschools as well as portions of the GED®, HiSET®, or TASC that they have passed. Students can take up to 2 years to finish the program, and along the way they have access to academic coaches, as well as career and college planning. They can choose from 40 high-interest electives relevant to fast-growing occupations including science, technology, and healthcare, and we also provide work opportunities and apprenticeships to program participants.
Last year, we had 10 graduates, which included some incredible success stories: a woman who started her own business after completing the program, a husband and wife who had adopted children early in life and decided to support their family by going through the program together, and Zemira Zigic, a Bosnian immigrant.
Zemira Zigic’s journey: From refugee to graduate
Though every person who has gone through the program has an inspiring story, Zemira’s unique background and tremendous drive make her an exceptional example of how a diploma-completion program can change a person’s life.
Zemira Zigic is a Bosnian who immigrated to the U.S. in 1998 at the age of 17, settling in St. Louis. Though she attended high school in her native country, she did not receive her high school diploma because of the Bosnian War. While it had always been her dream to get a high school diploma, it would have cost more than a thousand dollars to get it from her home country. Many immigrants–especially refugees–face this problem when they immigrate to a country where their academic credits may not transfer, and they may be too old to take advantage of public education opportunities.
Shortly after arriving in the US, Zemira found employment to support herself and continued to work in various positions over the years. Before she enrolled in Excel Adult High School, Zemira had a strenuous job that paid $17 an hour–but had been offered a higher quality role that paid $27 an hour if she could earn her high school diploma. Motivated by this new job opportunity, she finished the requirements within a year, graduating this past May. “And when I knew I had my diploma,” she said, “I started crying immediately.”
With her diploma in hand, she immediately began her new job, which is more enjoyable and earns nearly 60 percent more than before. Zemira has encouraged “every single person who doesn’t have their high school diploma,” including her husband, a self-employed delivery driver, to explore the Excel Adult High School program offered through the library. Within her local Bosnian community, there was disbelief that such an opportunity existed, but now that she has graduated, everyone can see for themselves it is true and are happy for her. Earning her diploma has been such a monumental change in her life that she urges anyone who thinks they’re too old to reconsider.
And high school was just the beginning of Zemira’s educational journey. After completing Excel Adult High School, she went on to earn a Healthcare Certification from the Washington University in St. Louis, School of Continuing & Professional Studies. The university offered this 3-month program to help our adult high school graduates kickstart their careers by preparing them for jobs as patient care techs, medical assistants, medical scribes, and other positions. Zemira completed the program in December 2023. Inspired by her success, her sister is enrolled in Excel Adult High School.
Last year, 11 graduates completed the Healthcare Certification program, and then were immediately interviewed by the Washington University School of Medicine. The hospital system is looking to hire about 3,000 people through its apprenticeship program over the next five years. We hope to help as many people as possible to earn those jobs so that, like Zemira, they can fulfill their dreams.
