GED graduation scheduled today at North Idaho College

COEUR d'ALENE - Going back for a GED is never easy. Even less so when you're taking exams between hospital visits like 31-year-old Levi Carnahan.

"I was sprung out of there (the hospital), took my last test, and crossed my fingers," the Post Falls man said. "It took a long time, but I've figured out how important that piece of paper is."

Carnahan will be one of hundreds eligible to walk in the 2015 GED Graduation Ceremony being held today at 7 p.m. in Boswell Hall Schuler Auditorium on North Idaho College's main campus. Graduates are asked to pick up their caps and gowns at Boswell Hall at 6 p.m., with the ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. The ceremony is open to family and friends of the graduates.

Like many others, Carnahan dropped out of high school for all the wrong reasons. He said it took him a while, but he realized he "wasn't finding any real happiness." Going back to grab that degree for a better future became a goal of his about the same time he began having serious issues with his gallbladder that required repeated trips to the hospital. He was "drowning in debt" due to medical issues, he said, but was having a hard time getting a job that paid well without a high school diploma. Frequent hospital trips while taking classes and tests was tough, but there were a million and one reasons to push through it.

The one reason?

"I promised my mom," Carnahan said. "Let's face it, I've disappointed her enough and didn't want to do it again."

Going back to school wasn't easy, but the most positive chapters in life rarely are and, Carnahan said, he's looking real hard at continuing his education by taking college-level classes to "keep the momentum going in the right direction."

North Idaho College President Joe Dunlap will speak at GED Graduation. There will also be an open microphone available for graduates to express their appreciation to those who have assisted them during their journey.

Information: (208) 769-3275 or www.nic.edu/events.