Elgin GED grad says slow economy forced him back to school

Jimmy Chism never imagined that, more than 20 years after he quit school, he'd be getting a diploma.

Or speaking at his graduation ceremony having earned one of the highest GED test scores in his class, no less.

The 36-year-old Elgin resident, who dropped out of Elgin Area School District U-46 as a ninth-grader after bouncing around between Elgin, Larkin and Gifford Street Alternative high schools, had been making decent money as a construction worker and a machinist.

But when the economy tanked, he found himself collecting unemployment and looking for a new job.

"I knew that my education part of my resume didn't look so hot," Chism said.

A friend encouraged him to get his GED at Elgin Community College.

"At first I said, 'I'm too old to go back to school,' " Chism said. "But then, I started thinking. I've still got 30 years of working before I'll be able to retire."

The kicker, Chism said, was thinking about setting a good example for his daughter Amber, a sophomore at a high school in Arkansas.

"I try to preach to her to work hard, stay in school. But I thought if I can show her, with my actions, that's even better," he said.

He began GED classes last spring, three days a week at first, and then a full five days a week to get his math and writing up to snuff.

Chism's GED exam score was the highest among the 106 students from U-46 and ECC attending Thursday night's graduation at the college's Spartan Events Center.

ECC and U-46 each receive funding from the Illinois Community College Board to offer a GED program, college spokeswoman Heidi Healy said.

"We've held these joint graduations for several years now," she said. "It's always a really high-energy celebratory event for the people who are graduating and their families."

Along with telling the audience how he decided to go back to school, Chism plans to speak about his plans for the future.

He will enroll in ECC later this year, with the eventual goal of graduating from its culinary arts program. The college has awarded him a $1,000 scholarship for four semesters.

"This accomplishment is great and everything," Chism said. "But I kind of want to go farther than that."