AUGUSTA, G.A. ()- Students in the Richmond County Juvenile Court THRIVE Enrichment Program are taking steps toward a better future.

13 students in the program got to turn their tassels Tuesday. For them it’s much more than just a graduation, it means changing the direction of their lives for the better.

A ceremony that causes tears of joy and hugs of appreciation. It’s what students expressed Tuesday morning after taking a step towards a brighter future.

“Honestly it means a lot. Through God and through the power of my family, we’ve all been here, we stood strong– I was able to do this and stand tall above everybody,” Class valedictorian Justin Elmor said.

The Richmond County Juvenile Court THRIVE Enrichment Program gives teens in the juvenile court system a chance to turn their lives around through its GED program.

“When they come in, sometimes they’re kind of reluctant on– ‘I don’t want to get this,’ or ‘I don’t wanna do this’ and then once they get into it they really, really work hard and they’re successful in the end and we’re so proud of that, and now that they have done that, we let them know that this is not the end. This is the beginning,” GED Instructor Julie Thomas said.

A beginning that provides them with academic and treatment programs. Mrs. Julie Thomas says students’ future successes are shaped through encouragement in the present.

“We try to just be positive cause a lot of them didn’t have any positivity on their life when they came here because a lot of them may have heard ‘well, you’re not gonna be able to do this, you can’t do this,’ or whatever. But we let them know, ‘you’re gonna do this and we’re gonna help you.’”

Graduates like Louis Jenkins tells me he wouldn’t have missed this day, no matter the distance. 

“It was for me, but most importantly, for my family. Because my dad and my mom wanted to see me graduate and walk across the stage. So, yeah, for my family.” 

If you know someone who would like to become a part of the Richmond County Juvenile Court THRIVE Enrichment program you can find more information here.