Oconto Falls NWTC student overcomes obstacles to earn HSED

Melinda Steadman, of Oconto Falls, earned her High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) this spring after taking Adult Basic Education College and Career Readiness classes at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.

“I am super proud of myself. Life has not been easy,” Steadman said in the words she shared during NWTC’s virtual GED/HSED graduation. “Though it’s easier to learn when you have teachers who not only help but also want to make sure you succeed.”

Steadman encountered many barriers to continuing her education. As a single mother to three kids, she struggled to balance work, school and family time. Things got harder when cancer reared its ugly head and left Steadman with numerous health conditions after remission.

“I wanted to better myself, to give my kids the life I never had,” Steadman said.

In September 2020, Steadman came to NWTC Oconto Falls and enrolled in GED Prep classes. She credits her instructor, Gino Gemignani, an NWTC Pathway to Academic Success instructor, as a large reason for her persistence this time around. “It helps when you have a teacher who isn’t just there to get you in and out,” she said. “To have someone telling you, ‘You can do this,’ helped me a lot.”

NWTC offers free test preparation, including TABE pre-testing — classes designed to help students prepare and practice tests. GED prep classes are offered in-person with Gemignani in Oconto Falls on Mondays and in Shawano on Tuesdays, with additional online classes available. Steadman attended as many as she could. She would go to in-person classes at NWTC Oconto Falls every Monday and attend virtual classes Tuesdays through Thursdays.

Because she was doing so well, Gemignani suggested Steadman work towards earning a HSED rather than a Certificate of General Education Development (GED).

“Just do the HSED,” Steadman said after completing her certificate. “If you’re putting in the effort to do the GED, you might as well go for the HSED.”

She said going through the HSED process also provides helpful refreshers in health and career awareness counseling, as well as citizenship and employability skills requirements.

Now that Steadman has her credential, she is attending NWTC this fall with the goal of becoming a forensic crime scene investigator.

Steadman found such a sense of belonging at NWTC that she has urged staff members to put together an alumni event for other NWTC Oconto Falls GED graduates. The event is scheduled for 5-6:30 p.m. Oct. 12 at NWTC Oconto Falls, 649 E. Jackson St.

Former students are welcome and are encouraged to share their success stories as inspiration for current and future students. Additional alumni events are being planned for NWTC program graduates in Oconto Falls and Shawano.

“If it wasn’t for NWTC, my kids and Gino, I would have given up,” Steadman said.

For those without a high school diploma, earning a GED or HSED is the next step before going to college and pursuing a dream career. To learn more about this process and NWTC’s free test preparation, visit “Get Started on Your GED” at NWTC.edu.