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RAYMOND – Angel Allen is soft spoken and yet easy to talk to. She has overcome many barriers, including debilitating shyness, to go back to school and earn her High School Equivalency certificate (HSE). She has become an inspiration to her instructors, mentors and fellow students in ����԰ Adult Education department’s Mississippi Integrated Basic Education and Skills program (MIBEST).

Her Strategy Career Coach, Lasonja Lightfoot, said she has seen Allen’s confidence grow since coming to ����԰.

“She came in and hit the ground running, but she was shy, barely spoke at all,” Lightfoot said. “Angel has flourished in the MIBEST program, and now she speaks her mind.”

Because of her academic excellence, Allen has received a scholarship through the MIBEST program from the Kellogg Foundation, which supports food security of vulnerable populations and rewards those who are working to better their education.

Allen earned HSE certificate in April this year and participated in a traditional high school ceremony on June 18 in Cain-Cochran Hall on the Raymond Campus.

“Receiving my HSE despite all the trials and tribulations life has thrown at me and coming to ����԰ has been one of the greatest things I’ve accomplished. I am proud of myself, and it won’t stop here,” Allen said. She has two children that she says she wants to be able to provide for on her own.

This summer she interned with the Mississippi Department of Employment Security Commission at a local WIN Job Center. Returning to ����԰ this fall, she is in the work study program at the Jackson Campus. She helps give campus tours, which is a real accomplishment for someone who is painfully shy like Allen, Lightfoot said.

Allen said she will start in college academic classes this fall, probably the Humanities Pathway, a departure from the Career and Technical Education (CTE) typically picked by MIBEST participants. Academic pathways are designed to align students with the curriculum credits they will need when they transfer to a four-year university.

“Just getting my HSE is not enough. I am continuing to further my education to better my future, so that in the future I can provide the best for my kids,” Allen said.

To learn more about the MIBEST Program visit hindscc.edu/workforce/mibest, or email Director of Integrated Pathways Lauren Powers at Lauren.Powers@hindscc.edu.

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����԰ offers affordable, comprehensive educational opportunities across six campus locations and has nearly 500 academic classes guaranteed to transfer to a university, over 65 career and technical program options and an extensive array of online courses. Applications for general admissions are currently being accepted. Prospective students are encouraged to apply and explore enrollment steps at hindscc.edu/enroll.

Our Mission: ����԰ is committed to moving people and communities forward by helping develop their purpose, passion and profession.

Our Vision: ����԰ will be a catalyst to create a competitive economy and a compelling culture for Mississippi.

Our Values: ����԰ aspires to the following IDEALS: Integrity, Diversity, Excellence, Accountability, Leadership, Stewardship.

To learn more, visit www.hindscc.edu or call 1.800.����԰CC.