Juanita Gurkins
Seventy-three-year-old Juanita Gurkins wrote her first high school essay in the fall of 2008 as a student seeking her General Education Development, or GED, at Beaufort County Community College. She chose to write about John Wayne because she believes he's “extraordinary.”
Gurkins is pretty “extraordinary' herself. She returned to school to earn her GED in order to continue working as a personal care provider for a Pitt County home health agency. Gurkins was faced with new rules that require anyone providing personal care to hold a high school diploma or GED. Gurkins had left high school in the 10th grade to get married and spent more than four decades employed in the manufacturing sector. She said returning to school after so many years was daunting but she was determined to succeed.
“Regardless of how old you are, you can always learn,” she said. “It was a new experience and different from anything I've ever done. But, whenever I start anything, I'm going to accomplish it to the best of my ability.”
Laurie Weston, one of Gurkins' instructors, said, “Juanita motivated my other GED students because they saw an older -- yet young at heart -- woman put forth tremendous effort and commitment to reach her goal. As a result of her example, they knew they could do it, too! I wish I had classrooms full of 73-year- old students!”
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Thursday, April 01, 2010 06:43:56 AM
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