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Ife Nweke arrived in the halls of Winder-Barrow High Schools almost exactly two years ago. She had recently transferred from Gwinnett County, and she found herself in a precarious position. Moving halfway through the year from a full-year schedule to a block schedule meant that she had several half credits that needed to be addressed. Furthermore, Ife failed multiple classes during her freshman and sophomore years, causing her to be severely credit deficient and far off her grad track.
After several in-depth discussions with her counselor and graduation specialist, Ife decided to create a new vision for her next two years. She settled in for the long haul, knowing that arriving at an on-time graduation would be an arduous process. After a successful junior year, Ife has raised the bar. Her goal is not simply to pass all her classes, but she is striving to earn B’s or better! Ife is also tackling her half credits through unit recovery, and she is finishing her final required credits through Foothills. Of course, Ife wishes she could rewind the clock and focus on her early high school years, but nevertheless she has now found a sense of accomplishment through her perseverance.
Ife’s transition from an apathetic student to a conscientious student has not been an easy journey. As with most students facing severe credit deficiency, doubt often crept in and attempted to derail her progress. In times like these, Ife learned to lean on her support team at WBHS to get her back on track. Ms. Ross, Ife’s counselor, beams, “Ife has worked extremely hard to get the credits she needs to graduate. No matter what obstacles come her way, she always handles them with a smile.” Perhaps Ife’s smile is an indicator of the confidence and maturity that she has learned over the last two years. She has indeed learned the importance of work ethic and self-advocacy through this difficult process, and these skills will serve Ife well as she begins her journey into college life.
Words of encouragement by C.S. Lewis ring true for Ife: "You can't go back and change the beginning of your story, but you can start where you are and change the ending." We are so proud of the work that Ife has put in to “change her ending,” and we look forward to her bright future as a college student in the fall.
We are proud of our students who are on the “Grad Track.” A Grad Track student has either failed one or more academic classes and/or is behind in credits needed for graduation with their cohort class. Graduation Specialists at all three Barrow County School System (BCSS) high schools support students who meet these qualifications.