Special to The Truth
When new students enter the Owens Aspire College and Career Readiness program, they’re greeted with three simple but powerful words.
“Welcome future graduates.”
Roughly 592,000 Ohioans ages 25 and older do not have a high school diploma, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data. On May 21, that number dipped as the Aspire program celebrated 29 graduates who received their high school equivalency diploma in the 2025-26 academic year with a graduation ceremony in Veterans Hall.
“It’s always exciting to chip away at the number of people who do not have their high school equivalencies and just see the faces of everybody when they really realized that they’ve done it,” said Heath Huber, director of the Owens Aspire program. “The act of walking across the stage to receive your credential is definitely one that they will remember for a long time.”
Two graduates spoke during the graduation, Tasha Smith from the Findlay-area Campus and Marquelle Scott from the Toledo-area Campus.
During her speech, Smith said the support from the Owens Aspire staff helped her complete her GED in March. Smith is working toward her Chemical Dependency Counselor Assistant license before starting on her associate degree this fall.
“The thing about the Owens Aspire staff is, they don’t go away just because you obtained your GED,” Smith said. “They are family, so we are kind of stuck with them. The support, the love, the excitement for your growth and achievements are never ending. I am very grateful for this. It gives me hope, hope for a better future.”
The celebration included a processional with “Pomp and Circumstance” playing, and all graduates got to keep their caps and tassels thanks to a donation from the Owens Community College Foundation.
The night also celebrated about 30 participants in the Work Advance Program in the last school year, which is a partnership with Raise the Bar Hancock County and the Habitat for Humanity Financial Opportunity Center.
They also recognized four students from the English for Speakers of Other Languages classes who had writing samples selected for the Ohio Literacy Resource Center’s annual “Beginnings” publication.
Huber pointed out how adult education differs from traditional K-12 education because of the variables and obstacles most adult learners face. That also makes what these students accomplish so much more valuable.
“We’re so proud of our students. Every year it seems there’s more challenges thrown in everybody’s way to finish. There are more obstacles, there are more people against us to complete. But they still saw it through. They worked hard, they committed to their success and they got it. So we’re very, very proud of each and every one of them,” Huber said.
Students from the Owens Broadcast Technology program recorded videos of student stories after the graduation which will be edited and published as well.
Huber also recognized Dee Dolsey, curriculum and staff support person for the Owens Aspire program, as the Ohio Association for Adult and Continuing Education regional Adult Educator of the Year, and Rayvina Munn as the regional Outstanding Adult Learner of the Year.
Owens Community College has served northwest Ohio since 1965 as an accredited two-year, state-assisted institution of higher education with an open-door admission policy. Through intentional, adaptive and empowering education, Owens offers more than 160 academic programs to be the first choice for students, employers and the community. As a conduit to changing lives for the better, Owens creates pathways for success. For more information, visit www.owens.edu.