Donation helps African American women obtain GED

Thanks to a $2,000 donation from Women of Destiny Lake County chapter, College of Lake County will help pay testing costs for African American women pursuing high school equivalency diplomas.

There are two approved HSE tests in Illinois students can take and prepare for: GED and HiSET. CLC offers free preparatory classes for these two tests, and this donation will help students pay for the HSE tests, which can cost more than $100.

"We discovered a gap in the community and wanted to try to remove it," said Nakisha Ball, executive director of Women of Destiny Lake County. "There are a lot of women of African American descent in our community that are not fortunate to have any extra support."

"This donation helps remove one more barrier for adult learners achieving any goal they might have, whether it's getting a HSE diploma or going to college," said Dr. Arlene Santos-George, Dean of Adult Education and ESL.

"They can receive scholarships for college, but they need their HSE credential first as a requirement for many college programs."

CLC offers free HSE preparatory classes, both online and in-person, to those looking to take the GED or HiSET tests. These adult secondary education courses teach reading, writing, math, science and social studies to prepare students for the different sections of the tests.

Students ready to take the GED and HiSET tests can go to the CLC Testing Centers at Lakeshore-Waukegan and Grayslake campuses or other HSE testing centers.

Most students who pursue HSE degrees at CLC are low-income. Nearly 10% of adult basic and secondary education program students are African American women.

Find more information about the CLC's Adult Education and ESL Division program at www.clcillinois.edu/programs-and-classes/adulted or call (847) 543-2485.