Middle Georgia Technical College

Upholding Promises: Grandmother and Granddaughter Achieve Educational Goals Together

Warner Robins - Thursday, June 12, 2008 will represent a life changing moment for two people in Middle Georgia. One, a grandmother who worked her way up the corporate ladder to a successful career and the other, a granddaughter, dedicated to providing a better life not only for her children, but also for underprivileged and less fortunate children. Together, they will walk down the aisle at the Middle Georgia Technical College commencement exercises to fulfill their dream of receiving their GED.

The story begins in 1962 when Patsy J. Paulk dropped out of high school in Albany and gave birth to her first child that same year. Upon getting married, she made a promise to her father that she would get her GED. However, life intervened over the next 11 years and with four children, Patsy found it next to impossible to fulfill that promise.

She began to work odd jobs that did not require a high school diploma and painted houses with her father and brother part time. Then, in 1980, her first husband went missing in the Atlantic Ocean and was eventually declared dead. Patsy was now in a tough spot-with very little work experience and no high school diploma, she now had to raise four children, ranging in age from seven to 17, alone. She began working full time painting houses and eventually remarried, but still did not slow down to keep her promise of getting her GED.

As luck would happen, Patsy's brother helped her to get a distribution job with a major newspaper. She worked the night shift to begin with but eventually worked her way up the ladder and became a regional manager of distribution for the newspaper. For 20 years she worked with this company hoping and praying that no one would find out that she did not have her high school diploma. Getting her GED was an unlikely struggle that she continued to face.

The common link between Patsy and her granddaughter is Penny Ramos, Patsy's daughter and Kelly Medina's mother.

Penny herself faced many obstacles throughout her life. While raising her three children, circumstances caused Penny to move many times forcing Kelly to attend 13 different schools from South Carolina to Georgia during her 11 years of attending school. Because Penny had to work two jobs at times to support her family, Kelly was required to be mature beyond her years, playing "mom" to her younger siblings.

Once the family's situation was more stable and after finally settling at Peach County High, Kelly excelled and made good grades and even earned a spot on the National Honor Roll. After working with a Down syndrome child at a church summer camp during her freshman year, she realized her passion was to work with disabled and underprivileged children.

In the summer of 2002, just as Kelly was about to start her junior year, she informed her mother that she was pregnant with twins. Penny and Patsy cried together because they knew the odds of her completing her high school education were not likely.

After giving birth, Kelly attempted to return to high school through Peach County's Evenstart Program. She eventually made a decision that she does not regret to return home to care for her two children. However, she did make a promise to her granddad and Patsy's husband, who was dying of cancer, that she would get her GED no matter what.

In 2004, Kelly's life story changed. Her grandfather lost his battle with cancer and she was pregnant once again. This time, the expectant mother would receive tragic news. She was to give birth to a child with anencephaly—her baby would be born without a brain. Three months after birth, her child passed away, five weeks after Kelly's grandfather died. Kelly felt as if she had no chance at life and lost all interest in education and working with disabled children because she could not save her own disabled child.

Two years later, on her 21st birthday, Kelly gave birth to her fourth child, a very happy and healthy child. She made the decision that there was no way for her to attend GED classes because she did not have childcare available and made the decision to give up. That was until her mom, Penny, started working with the Adult Education Department at Middle Georgia Technical College.

Penny is a data entry specialist for the MGTC Adult Education department, which encompasses the GED program, the English as a second language program, and various literacy courses including health and workplace literacy.

While Kelly was busy with raising her three children and after Patsy lost her job due to downsizing, Penny continuously reminded them of the opportunities available for them at MGTC. Finally, after some resistance from her mother and daughter, Penny just signed them up to take their GED tests.

To help them prepare, Penny worked with Patsy and Kelly to study for the exams. With materials provided by the MGTC Adult Education program, Penny was able to help encourage her loved ones and give them the foundation and confidence they needed to fulfill their dreams.

Patsy and Kelly arrived hand in hand for their first three tests on Thursday night and left with a feeling of dread that they had not passed all three parts. Fortunately, they both passed all three parts and now had only the math and writing portions left to take.

Grandmother and granddaughter were both nervous about attempting the math portion. Patsy had not studied math since 1962 and it was not Kelly's strong point. They both arrived on Saturday, supporting each other as always. They both came in with a "we're going to graduate together attitude" and left feeling completely drained and with very little confidence that they had passed.

As Penny went to work Monday morning, their whole family anxiously awaited the test results. Both Patsy and Kelly had passed the math portion! They were now eligible to receive their GED.

"I called my mom first and there were tears of joy and excitement," said Ramos. "I called Kelly next and there was a little girl's laughter that I had never heard before in her life—my baby was finally happy again."

Both Patsy and Kelly upheld their promises to their dad and granddad, but most importantly, they upheld their promises to themselves.

"Although my mom has been my greatest inspiration, and my daughter has been my savior," said Ramos, " the moment that I watched two people, 41 years apart in age, walk into a room together for the same purpose and achieve the same goal is the most inspiring and proud moments I have witnessed. They truly are two amazing people."

Patsy Paulk and Kelly Medina will both walk across the stage at the Miller-Murphy-Howard Building at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry Thursday, June 12, to receive their GED. There will be one very proud daughter and mother in the audience as Penny Ramos, and her brother and sisters, cheer their loved ones on as they both start a new chapter in their lives and work toward a new career.

Patsy and Kelly both have satisfied personal goals, but this is not where the story ends for either of them. Patsy intends on taking credit classes at Middle Georgia Technical College in the future and Kelly plans to enter the Early Childhood Care and Education program at MGTC in January 2009.

To find out more about the Adult Literacy program at Middle Georgia Technical College, please call 478.929.6789 or log on to www.middlegatech.edu. Jump start your way into a new day!

Penny Ramos (standing) congratulates her mom, Patsy Paulk, (left) and her daughter, Kelly Medina, for successfully completing the requirements for a GED.