27th Maryland High School Diploma Graduation Ceremony

“What is stopping you?” 

That’s the question Ashley Orozco asked the audience during AACC’s 27th Maryland High School Diploma Graduation Ceremony. Student speakers shared barriers that initially prevented them from completing their high school diplomas – immigration, addiction, family obligations, injuries – but each overcame those barriers to pass the GED® test or complete the National External Diploma Program® with support from Anne Arundel Community College. 

“Early last year, I applied for a position that I knew I was fully qualified for, but I was denied because I didn't have my high school diploma,” Orozco said. “Trying to balance working full time and raising three kids mostly on my own, I made excuses and stopped working towards my diploma. But if you're anything like me, you don't like to be told no.”

Orozco completed her GED® on Dec. 20, 2024.

“Guess who is starting a new position this December? Me. The same position that I applied for that got denied over a year ago,” she said. 

This year, 135 students joined the more than 7,000 who have earned their high school diplomas since 1998. 

“Each of your paths has been different, but you share one remarkable quality – the courage to pursue your dreams regardless of circumstances,” Provost and Vice President of Learning Tanya Millner, Ed.D., said during the ceremony.

The achievement is not the end for these graduates. 

“This diploma is proof that I can rise above my past and build something better,” Cortez Stackhouse said in his remarks. “It represents a new beginning and a step towards the life that I want to create for myself.”

Like Orozco, Stackhouse won’t be stopped from pursuing his goals. He participated in the GED® classes at Ordnance Road Correctional Center, graduated from culinary school, became a certified professional chef and is working in a restaurant. He plans to pursue a degree in business management and earn his CDL.

“Growth is possible and I'm not defined by where I came from but where I'm headed,” he said.