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SANFORD, N.C. — At �ڰ�������, Jeremy Michael Lee Jr. turned an old foe into a useful tool. 

“I came to a realization: math was never the thing I had to defeat,” said Lee, who recently earned his High School Equivalency Diploma. “The biggest thing I had to overcome was myself.” 

�ڰ������� held its annual College and Career Readiness Graduation Ceremony at 6 p.m. on Aug. 6 at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic & Conference Center in Sanford. 

The event honors graduates from the college’s high school equivalency diploma and adult high school diploma programs. This year, 129 students earned their diplomas. 

�ڰ������� President Dr. Lisa M. Chapman congratulated the graduates and encouraged them to continue working toward their goals with help from the college. 

“We want to be there every step of the way,” she said. “You’re very important to the communities we serve. You’re very important to us.”

Makayla Renee Johnson, who followed Lee as the evening’s second student graduation speaker, left high school to get a full-time job to support herself while living on her own. 

“Today, as I walk across this stage, I’m not just celebrating a diploma,” she said. “I’m celebrating resilience, second chances, and most importantly the life I chose to fight for.” 

Jarely Janeth Zavaleta Carbajal, the final student graduation speaker, graduated from high school in Mexico in 2018, earning a bachelor’s degree in law in 2023 and a graduate diploma in litigation strategies and moral advocacy in 2024. She enrolled in �ڰ�������’s High School Equivalency in Spanish program to earn her diploma so that her education could be recognized and she could continue her studies in the United States. She plans to pursue a college degree in the U.S. and work in a field related to law. 

“Many of us may have heard that we had lost our chance, or that it was already too late to start over,” she said, speaking in Spanish. “And yet, today we stand here as living proof that time does not determine the value of a dream.” 

Tyra Johnson, Career and Academic Engagement Instructor, served as Mace Bearer at the graduation, symbolizing the academic honor of the day. Anita Green, Career Pathways Coordinator, presented the candidates for graduation and Julian Philpott, Chair of the Board of Trustees, conferred the diplomas.

At the end of the ceremony, upbeat music played from the loudspeakers, as family and friends cheered and boogied. Graduates walked out of the hall into their next chapter amid the song’s repeated chorus: “Don’t believe me, just watch.” 

For more information about College and Career Readiness programs at �ڰ�������, please visit College & Career Readiness.