Amy Scott

Sarah Ash from the Texas Standard has that story.

In a packed auditorium at Austin Community College's Eastview campus, Suha Kabakli addresses students being inducted into the National Adult Education Honor Society.

In 2010, when she was 17, Palestinian refugee Kabakli moved from Iraq to Austin with no high school diploma in tow.

Schooling wasn't so easy for her in Texas either.

I was bullied a lot for not speaking English, for wearing scarf.

What I wasn't expecting was to be that much.

She dropped out after three months, got married, had two kids, and then in 2021, she decided to get her GED so she could have a career of her own.

Don't just be at home.

Don't wait for anybody to do things for you.

You fight for yourself.

People get GEDs with a variety of career goals.

Electrician, mortician, EMS, paralegal.

But one commonality is that their earning potential goes up when they get the certificate.

Sharon Bonney, CEO of the Coalition on Adult Basic Education, says improving educational outcomes for adults is one way to combat the affordability crisis.

A better job means people pay more taxes and have more money to buy consumer goods.

They are also less likely to need public assistance, according to Literacy Pittsburgh CEO Carrie Harris.

Harris says historically, adult education enrollment has increased when the economy slows down.

This is true not just for GED classes, but also workforce training certifications.

Kabakli says the free classes she can access at Austin Community College after completing her GED was one draw to continuing her education.

Her goal is to become a radiologist because of the job prospects.