'Get Up and Do It,' Says High School Dropout Headed for College

'Get Up and Do It,' Says High School Dropout¹ Headed for College

PHILADELPHIA—

It took two years of non-stop studying for Lance Dunn to make it to this point.

After dropping out of a high school in the 11th grade, the 23-year old Philadelphia resident has passed the GED or high school equivalency test, is graduating and on his way to college.

"The key is to get up and do it, just get up and do it. Stay motivated and have that drive, that hunger to keep going," Dunn said.

Donning a royal blue cap and gown, Dunn joined 38 others during a June graduation ceremony at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park, receiving their GEDs as family and friends cheered them on.

"I feel great; it's amazing to accomplish something like this," Dunn said.

Each year, nearly a thousand young people come through E3 (education, empowerment, and employment) community centers run by Philadelphia-based nonprofit JEV Human Services, where Director of Youth Engagement Tara Mullen says they receive help overcoming obstacles to completing their high school education and getting a job.

"Many (are) parenting, many involved in the juvenile² justice system, many involved in the adult criminal justice system, a lot facing homelessness  just any other number of barriers," Mullen said.

Obama's My Brother's Keeper

In a bid to break down some of the barriers, the nation's first African-American president launched My Brother's Keeper in 2014 to help narrow the opportunity gap for boys and young men of color, including through increasing high school graduation and employment rates.

Philadelphia was one of the first U.S. cities to adopt the My Brother's Keeper initiative, with nearly $90 million in private and public funding invested in programs like the nonprofit Philadelphia Youth Network, which in turn supports JEVS.

"I firmly believe that every child deserves the same chances that I had," President Barack Obama said in February of 2014 during the program's launch.

Flanked by young African-American and Hispanic boys and men in the White House East Room, Obama cited the facts.

"As a black student, you are far less likely than a white student to be able to read proficiently³ by the time you are in 4th grade," the president noted⁴. "By the time you reach high school, you're far more likely to have been suspended or expelled.

My Brother's Keeper has received criticism from both sides. The conservative National Review has called the initiative "government-sponsored discrimination," while more liberal The Root, has said it is not enough.

But Center for American Progress' Melissa Boteach says that there is a high cost to not addressing the problems of disparity.

Poverty to Prosperity Program VP, she notes minorities, who are more susceptible⁵ to poverty and instability, will make up the majority of the U.S. labor⁶ force in the near future.

"When you don't address those racial inequity issues, it's not only a moral outrage⁷, it's also economically shooting yourself in the foot for U.S. long-term competitiveness."

A path to success

Community College of Philadelphia's president, Dr. Donald "Guy" Generals, is more blunt when it comes to the need to intervene early on, particularly for those who have dropped out of school.

"If we don't find a way to catch them early and put them on a path towards something more productive, they are only going to be a burden in terms of the services they are going to need later on in their life," Generals said. "Their inability to find gainful employment and incarceration⁸ is way more costly⁹ than community college. So these programs are incredibly important."

Generals, who was the keynote speaker at JEVS' GED ceremony, recounted to graduates how he went from cleaning the floor of a chemical plant in his early 20's to getting a doctorate¹⁰ and now serving as the head of a community college with a 20,000 student enrollment¹¹.

"I see myself in them, as someone who is struggling to find an identity and a goal in life," Generals told VOA. "This experience in terms of education will be transformative for them. I do think they have recognized that they can achieve academically."

Anthony Simpson, 19, has seen the impact of the program firsthand. The high school dropout completed the GED program in just two months and credits JEVS with getting him into community college.

"They helped me stay consistent; they were there every morning. Mr. Jordan would sit in front of the class and wait for me to come in. They motivated me, because without them I would have given up."

He says he learned the importance of education when he realized he couldn't get a job without a high school diploma.

Simpson has a message for other young men who might be struggling with what path to take.

"Don't become a stereotype¹². Don't follow on a path just because you saw others do it. At the end of the day, you're going to be better off being a positive outlier than just following in the steps of someone else."

1 dropout   

n.退学的学生；退学；退出者

参考例句：

• There is a high dropout rate from some college courses.有些大学课程的退出率很高。
• In the long haul,she'll regret having been a school dropout.她终归会后悔不该中途辍学。

2 juvenile   

n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的

参考例句：

• For a grown man he acted in a very juvenile manner.身为成年人，他的行为举止显得十分幼稚。
• Juvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate.青少年犯罪正在以惊人的速度增长。

3 proficiently   

ad.熟练地

参考例句：

• Language Skills: Ability to write and speak English proficiently. 语言要求：有良好的英语读写能力。
• Although not a diplomat, he can proficiently use diplomatic terms. 他虽然不是外交官，却能熟练地使用外交辞令。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

6 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

7 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

8 incarceration   

n.监禁，禁闭；钳闭

参考例句：

• He hadn't changed much in his nearly three years of incarceration. 在将近三年的监狱生活中，他变化不大。 来自辞典例句
• Please, please set it free before it bursts from its long incarceration! 请你，请你将这颗心释放出来吧！否则它会因长期的禁闭而爆裂。 来自辞典例句

9 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

10 doctorate   

n.(大学授予的)博士学位

参考例句：

• He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
• Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士？

11 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

12 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。