Student Success Story: A Future in the Sky
Determined to leave his mistakes in the past, Emanuel is now a high school graduate with hopes of attending the Aviation Institute of Maintenance at Gwinnett Technical College.
Graduating high school may seem like a rite of passage for most, but for Emanuel Giliam it was just out of reach as mistakes from his past caused him to fall behind in school, “I was facing probation for two years for burglary, theft of a motor vehicle, unruly child, and shoplifting. Also, I was responsible for three Credit Recovery classes.” With peers pushing for him to turn his life around, Emanuel found himself asking for help from Mr. Avery, the CIS site coordinator at his school. Having previously crossed paths, Mr. Avery already knew very well that Emanuel would have to make a change if he wanted to improve his academics and graduate. Providing necessary school supplies and access to computers was a vital part of the help Emanuel needed to keep up with his school work, Mr. Avery made sure he had just that.
“After possibly facing years of prison for some things he had done in his past, Emanuel changed everything around. He realized he did not want to be a statistic and something had to change.” Today Emanuel has graduated and is motivated by his newfound ambition, hoping to show those around him how he found his way and continue his success by pursuing his interests in mechanics. He recently toured Delta Airline Tech Ops, and now has his next goal in place: Attending the Aviation Institute of Maintenance at Gwinnett Technical College, where upon completion he hopes to have the chance to step into a cockpit himself. “Mr. Avery helped me stay focused, also helped me see the bigger picture and strive to become something in life. Made me realize there are people that actually want to see you amount to something.”