Meet Joe from Menominee Tribal Education Department
Joe Grignon of Keshena, Wisconsin is a graduate of Menominee Tribal Education’s GED Prep Program. He started working on his GED credential in January 2018. His experience in high school was sometimes difficult; Joe fell behind and was not able to catch up in time to graduate with his peers. The GED Prep Program gave him a chance to move forward in life.
In 2018, Joe studied hard and achieved a passing score in his first GED sub-test. Forward progress stalled, until March 2019, when Joe set his mind to get back on track. By June of 2019, Joe passed all remaining GED sub-tests, to achieve his GED credential!
Fast forward to 2020: Joe is enrolled in College of Menominee Nation’s (CMN’s) Tech Hire program, which targets, trains, and supports young people, ages 17-29, with technical training needed to equip our workforce in rapid-growth sectors like tech, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing. Pictured above, Joe is now participating in Google App Training at CMN’s Community Technology Center.
Along Joe’s GED prep journey, there were some bumps in the road—the loss of a close member of his family, struggles to compete in the job market, and hobbies/interests that diverted him from his goals. Even with all of the distractions, Joe came to realize two important things:
- Being a young Native American adult without a high school diploma or equivalent, is a huge disadvantage in the world of work, and prevents a person from pursuing higher education goals;
- Earning a GED takes diligence, and perseverance through personal obstacles.
Joe believed he could, and he did. So can you.
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