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2008 Graduating Grand Prize: Cyndi Bishline
"I never imagined how hard life was, until I was forced to live in the real world at such an early age. It can be so easy to dig yourself into a hole, and when you finally realize that you want out, you pray that someone is there on the other side waiting to help you. Fortunately, that was my situation..."
2008 Non-graduating Grand Prize: Barbara Buckly
2008 First Place Prize: Jared Thomas
2007 Grand Prize: Erin Short
"Five rings hang from my bedroom wall. Olympic dreams were much simpler in junior high. I would never allow a day to end without touching those rings and thinking, I'll make it. I was a normal student who went to class, did homework, and had friends. All my spare time was spent training with the horses. Riding is my passion and in my dreams I was an Olympian..."
2006 Grand Prize: Ruby Stockbridge
"As a freshman I was stricken with an illness that left me wondering if I would die. After numerous doctors and moths of tests I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. I was constantly sick at school. My doctor was forced to dismiss me from classes indefinitely. Now, because I was able to continue my education via NovaNET, I get to walk at my graduation with all me peers..."
2005 Grand Prize: Thomas Love
"When I first started attending the Performance Learning Center, I thought there was no hope for a person in my position being young, black, and without good grades. I had written off all optimism of a dream to go to college and make something of myself..."
2004 Grand Prize: Mark Dragich
"My life has changed over the past three years. My Freshman and the beginning of my sophomore year, consisted of getting in trouble, ditching school, and accepting a completely apathetic attitude towards my education. This has changed however, because of a few factors. One of these was NovaNET. With NovaNET's help, I have..."
Listen to Mark tell his story.
2003 Grand Prize: Franklin White
"You say a nineteen year old senior is a little too old? Well, not for this one, he doesn't think. I was a four-time freshman, two-time dropout kid with a bad attitude. And, I know many people who would back my words on that. It's not that I'm dumb or lack motivation. It just took me some hardships to finally realize..."
