The GED Test Saved my Life!

As we work diligently here at Just Jay Media headquarters, I wanted to present an endorsement and little-known fact about my educational upbringing.

Just because I was a very successful college student, people always assume I graduated from one of those North shore, "public but only if you live in the district" type high schools. That assumption, ladies and gentlemen, is incorrect. While I did attend Maine South high school in Park Ridge (unfortunately), I was asked to withdrawal (drop out) long before I could graduate. Why? Well, that's a whole other story for a different blog, but I'll offer up the short version.

The two worst years of my life were ages 13 and 14, when I attended Lincoln Junior High school in Park Ridge. I know I've mentioned it in past blogs how I hated school so much, I tried to die rather than attend--literally. If junior high is supposed to be training for those rigorous and competitive high school years, I was Gomer Pyle in a Vietnamese boot camp. So, I left Lincoln with a chip on my shoulder. I was terrified of high school as it had more students, rules and teachers.

But something actually went right for me. Right before the summer of 8th grade, my hideous appearance improved. I mean, I was "that kid" who was so ugly the other kids didn't even want to look at me. I had a severe case of acne that was immune to any of the many treatment attempts my dermatologist tried. It seemed hopeless. Anyway, out of no where, my acne cleared up, my weight evened out and I grew some muscle mass. I was still light years away from being Justin Bieber, but I was no longer ugly.

I entered Maine South with a more positive attitude. I was lucky too that I had a few connections from junior high that got me in with the popular seniors--the seniors who ran the school. Even though I was only a freshman I had a gift, a skill, a forte: I could sell weed. On that alone, I got in with the seniors. Moreover, their top senior and leader liked me and let me hang out and ride in his sleek, new car. It all seemed too good to be true.

My grades at Maine South were atrocious. I loved playing baseball so I did what I had to do to stay eligible to play. The upper-class kids I had affiliated with had moved on: got kicked out; dropped out; went to jail; died; etc. So I found myself in a precarious situation where I had to do things by myself. The last thing in Hell I wanted was a repeat of junior high, so I took the initiative to actually recruit an army of friends. And it didn't matter if they went to Maine South, East or West. I needed a crew--a loyal crew.

It took a few months for me to put my plan in action but it all started to come together. I sought out the kids with gifts: some who could fight; some who could motivate; some who could sell drugs and make money. Age, sex and location were less important than loyalty, intelligence and obedience. After a few more months, this "crew" we formed was transformed into the Latin Kings--a notorious Chicago street gang--after we couldn't get organized in the suburbs. A PR Stone (a brother gang of the Latin Kings) took us under his wing and schooled us in the art of gangbanging. So even though we were white boys from the suburbs, we took our violations (entrance requirements) and were officially made Latin Kings. Our home set was Levitt and Cortland- near Armitage and Western in the Bucktown neighborhood.

Affiliated gang members was all Maine South needed to keep suspending us until we either dropped out or got kicked out. Knowing I was fighting a losing battle, I dropped out. At this time I was 16, so I needed my Father's permission. To my dismay, he agreed. The way I see it, he must have seen all the violent street gang stuff first-hand and just wanted me to get away.

I took the form to my dean at Maine South with all the required signatures, making it official: I was now a bona fide, high school drop-out with no job and an armada of cops who loathed me. Great.

If you would of told me that I'd miss learning (not school!), I'd say you were insane. But I missed learning. There was absolutely nothing about Maine South that I missed at all... no way! But I wanted to be in some type of educational setting, learning something, if only to keep my mind occupied. I began researching exactly what I'd have to do to get back on track and possibly go to trade school or night school. At this point in my life, I thought I was dumb and slow and remedial, so college was out of the question.

I learned that I had to take the U.S.-mandated GED (General Equivalency Degree) to earn my high school diploma. This scared me. After all, how was I supposed to pass a test on classes I had never taken? I didn't matter though. I was determined. There was no way I was going to end up having a career as a night cashier at a gas station (although it is an interesting part-time job) and living the "G" life, selling drugs and mooching off my parents.

I scrounged up $25 for the GED practice book and studied like I'd never studied before. I brought this book everywhere, as I knew if I passed this test I could have some of the same opportunities as the "real" high school graduates. After a few more months, the day arrived. I had to report to a high school on a Saturday for an 8 hour GED test, and I wasn't too confident.

The test took me the full eight hours and seemed a lot easier than I envisioned it would be. After I finished and left the test site, I had no idea whether or not I passed.

A few months passed and I got a letter from the GED testing service. I got nervous because it was too small to hold a diploma. I was sure I failed. I slowly opened the letter: "Congratulations...you passed." Yes! I passed the GED on the first try and also scored so high, my scores made me eligible for college honors classes.

Many years later, I hold a Bachelor's degree and many other certifications, wherein I had to take intensive classes on difficult subjects. I am about to begin taking classes at the Community college again because I still LOVE learning!

-Just Jay-