Thanks to a scholarship program established by Smart Horizons Career Online Education (SHCOE) and ed2go in partnership with Brown Mackie College, 21-year-old RaNesha Gamill earned her high school diploma and a credentialed career certificate earlier this month through Career Online High School (COHS).

In March, Brown Mackie College joined the long list of educational institutions that have partnered with SHCOE and ed2go to make COHS part of its educational offerings. Brown Mackie College also became the first postsecondary institution to join the “Commitment to Action” agreement SHCOE and ed2go signed with the Clinton Global Initiative in July of 2013. Through this agreement, Brown Mackie College has made 32 scholarships available for students to enroll in COHS, a number matched by SHCOE and ed2go.

Gamill is the first student to earn her AdvancED/SACS accredited diploma and career certificate through this Clinton Global Initiative-Brown Mackie scholarship. An Indianapolis native, she completed most of her studies on her home computer and also took advantage of the supervised learning lab for COHS students on Brown Mackie’s Indianapolis campus.

“I liked the fact that I could work at my own pace,” Gamill said. “I didn’t have to wait for a teacher to tell me what to do next. It was also great to be able to work from home when I needed to.”

As a teenager in Bourbonnais, Illinois, Gamill was forced to withdraw from her high school due to bullying issues. She was six credits short of graduation at the time. It was the last of four different public high schools Gamill had attended in both Illinois and Indiana. She said after that last experience she just gave up.

“Getting this scholarship meant a lot to me,” Gamill said. “I wasn’t planning on going back to school until I heard about this opportunity. I saw it as a way to make a better life for my son and myself.”

Gamill began her COHS courses in May of 2013. Along with her high school classes, she also completed the coursework for a Professional Skills career certificate, which teaches a variety of career skills to help prepare students for the workplace. Gamill cited the Consumer Education coursework as her favorite subject, because it contained information she found useful in her day-to-day life.

“I’m so glad I had the opportunity to do the program and gain my diploma,” Gamill said.

 

For more information or to read the CGI Commitment to Action, please visit: http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/commitments/commitments_search.asp?id=830506.

About Brown Mackie College
Brown Mackie College is a system of over 25 schools located throughout North America. Programs, credential levels, technology, and scheduling options vary by school and are subject to change. Administrative office: 625 Eden Park Drive, Suite 1100; Cincinnati, OH 45202. ©2014 Brown Mackie College.

About the Clinton Global Initiative
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date CGI members have made more than 2,500 commitments, which are already improving the lives of more than 430 million people in over 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $87.9 billion.

CGI also convenes CGI America, a meeting focused on collaborative solutions to economic recovery in the United States, and CGI University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their community or around the world, and, this year, CGI Latin America, which will bring together Latin American leaders to identify, harness, and strengthen ways to improve the livelihoods of people in Latin America and around the world. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter@ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.

About Cengage Learning and ed2go
Cengage Learning is a leading educational content, software and services company for the academic, professional and library markets worldwide. ed2go, part of Cengage Learning, is the largest provider of turnkey online training and education solutions serving the adult education, career, and corporate training markets. With over 2,000 colleges, universities, community based organizations and other training providers, ed2go has served more than 2.5 million students. ed2go’s ever-growing catalog of Online Courses and Career Training Programs makes it simple for students to enrich their lives or reach professional goals in a supportive and engaging environment. ed2go also can help educational institutions jump-start their online education programs or augment existing distance learning options. For more information visit www.cengage.com or www.ed2go.com.