A graduation ceremony was held Thursday for 15 graduates from the Bridge Academy youth and adult education programs of Michigan Works. Bridge Academy Director Allie Knapp tells WSJM News these graduates all overcame barriers to graduating high school to either earn their diplomas or their GEDs.
“The Bridge Academy exists to help bridge the gap between education and employment in southwest Michigan,” Knapp said. “Our current program actually serves adult education students under the Michigan Works umbrella as well as the youth who are seeking their high school diploma or a GED.”
The graduation was held at Jean Klock Park in Benton Harbor. Knapp says it felt great to salute those young people who have taken steps to ensure they succeed in the future.
“for a lot of these students, there were a lot of personal barriers to overcome to get to this point, and so it was really special to be able to celebrate with their friends and family and make sure they really felt the full understanding of just how big of an accomplishment this really was.”
Knapp says Michigan Works already has some of the graduates on the track to further training or education. Many are also already working, and plan to advance in their fields. The most common are healthcare and manufacturing. Knapp notes this was an especially difficult time to complete school, given the pandemic.
