Candace was scheduled to finish high school in 1988, but life had other plans. Due to unforeseen circumstances, she wasn’t able to finish—until now. More than three decades later, Candace proudly crossed the stage as a graduate of The Excel Center® during its 2025 graduation ceremony.
“I did it all by myself,” she said, tearing up. “I’m very proud. I’m proud that all these people were so helpful to me. Even when I wanted to quit, they made it a point to boost me back up.”
At first, Candace was hesitant to return to school after so many years. But after seeing a commercial for The Excel Center, curiosity got the best of her, and she picked up the phone to learn more.
“When I got the number and called, they said, ‘It’s actual high school,’” she remembers. “I was like, ‘You go to different classes every day?’ And they said, ‘Yes, you actually go back to school.’ I said thank you and hung up. But after I thought about it, I was like, ‘I should do that. That’s a good idea.’”
When Candace first arrived, she said all of her worries went out the door.
“They were so nice and so welcoming, it didn’t even seem like it was that long ago,” she said. “It really wasn’t anything to be ashamed of. … They were so nice and treated me so regularly, even though I was different. They made it easy.”
Despite the age difference between Candace and many of her classmates, she said they made the process easy for her, too.
“I feel no different from some of the people who should have graduated in 2020, even though it was 1988 when I should have graduated high school,” she said. “They didn’t make me feel any different.”
Candace spent years shopping at Goodwill but never knew the mission beyond our stores. Now, she’s living proof and makes sure to share that mission with others.
“I wanted to finish it before I left this earth,” she said. “Now I have [a diploma]. I just want to thank whoever created this program—it’s just amazing.”