"No matter what they say you can't do, just try it

For Jodi Campbell-Hardwick, the choice to drop out of Atwood-Hammond High School was made after discovering that she was pregnant with twins at the age of 17. The year was 1998.After putting her high school career on hold for her children, Jodi did attempt to go back to high school, but it just didn't work out. Then a decade later, her life dramatically changed.

On February 10, 2008 Jodi was involved in a car wreck that left her severely injured. She underwent numerous surgeries for her many injuries, and was hospitalized for a total of thirty-two days. When she was finally released, Jodi had two rods, eight pins, twelve screws, and a cross joint in her back. She was also now a partial paraplegic.

Jodi didn't let this discourage her however. She instead decided to earn her GED.

On June 10, Parkland honored 62 students with their earned Graduate Equivalency Diplomas, or GEDS. Campbell-Hardwick was one of them.

For some the GED is a chance to earn the opportunity to continue on to a collegiate level of learning. Those who have yet to attain a high school diploma can take the GED to gain high school-level educational skills. Individuals that would benefit from taking the GED would be anyone who was unable to complete their high school education, for whatever reason. Disinterest, poor grades, health issues, and a wide range of other personal problems are just some of the reasons that a person might drop out of school early on.

"Doctors said that because of my brain injuries, I wouldn't be able to pass the GED," said Campbell-Hardwick.

With help from Tamara Covert, an instructor and GED advisor for Adult Education at Parkland College, Jodi Campbell-Hardwick began to study for her GED pre-test and eventually, the test itself. Because she is still unable to operate a motor vehicle, Campbell-Hardwick had to do all of her GED work online from her home. Even with help from Covert, Campbell-Hardwick still faced many difficulties.

"Many times I would fail tests at the end of the lesson and I would cry," she said.

But when Campbell-Hardwick took the GED pre-test, she passed with a 28/10 which was against the doctors' odds. With a score this impressive on a pre-test, Tamara Covert encouraged her to take the GED as soon as possible.

"What really stood out with Jodi is that she was so self motivated," said Covert. "She has really impressed me because she was able to retain a lot of skills to work online that many students don't. She worked hard, and you can really tell that she wants to live, that she wants to work for things."

Campbell-Hardwick did work very hard, passing the GED with 500 extra points. She has no intention of stopping there however.

"I'm going to try to take classes on campus, but if not I'll be doing it from home. It gets better as time goes by." she added referring to her memory problems. "But it's still something that I struggle with daily."

Hardwick-Campbell, who just turned 28, currently lives in Gibson city with her three children, twin 11-year-olds and a 5-year-old. She plans on attending classes at Parkland College during the fall semester for criminal justice. She hopes to eventually become a parole or probation officer after she finishes her college education.

She stresses to anyone that may be in a situation similar to hers to not give up so easily.

"No matter how hard it is in life, no matter what they say you can't do, just try it.