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Craig and Chyanne Hammonds

ABE students by the name of Chyanne and Craig are posing indoors, both smiling at the camera. Chyanne, who has long dark hair and glasses, is wearing a cream and gray fleece jacket and is holding a white paper cup. Craig, who is wearing a gray beanie, stands beside her in a long-sleeved black shirt and dark pants. They stand in front of a plain, light-colored wall.

December 10, 2019

A couple since they were 15 years old, Craig and Chyanne Hammonds have been through a lot together. They have grown up, had 2 kids, and most recently walked the road to their HSE together. Their HSE journey went like this鈥�

Craig came to orientation in October not quite sure what to expect. Both he and his wife, Chyanne, had been signed up for classes a couple years prior, but it just wasn鈥檛 the right time; they chose to focus on their family first and foremost. Craig never lost sight of wanting to earn his HSE, though, which he shared was at the top of his list of life goals.

For years, Craig was abused both physically and emotionally and was told that he would never amount to anything. That is far from the truth; the person who came into our classroom was eager to work hard and defy the negative words that had been spoken to him.

Reading and writing were the skills he thought he lacked in the most, but to his surprise, he performed extremely well in both subjects from the get-go. He claims no one would have believed he did so well if he hadn鈥檛 taken a picture of his scores. With hard work and some encouragement from his teachers, Craig was able to earn his HSE in one month! He said getting his HSE 鈥渉as been one of the best things I have ever done in my life.鈥�

Not only was Craig able to earn his HSE so quickly, but his journey in adult education also inspired his wife to get hers. She started coming to class a couple weeks after he did and was able to earn hers in 3 weeks. Chyanne was very happy her husband motivated her to come back. Craig said, 鈥淚 want my wife to take the next step in her career, and having her HSE will help her do this.鈥�

Chyanne has been a CNA for 5 years and would like to continue in her career as an LPN. She said she has always been interested in agriculture, but believes continuing on the nursing route is the best option for their family. Craig is currently looking into schools which will prepare him for working in the automotive industry. He prefers physical labor and hopes to one day run his own automotive business.

Craig and Chyanne said that they are happy to tell their story if it will help others. Despite the various challenges they鈥檝e faced over the years, they have remained driven to be the best parents and people they can be. They shared, 鈥淭here are no words to describe how far we鈥檝e come.鈥� It is evident that they want more for their kids, and they both agreed that having their HSE will provide more opportunities for their family. They want others to know, 鈥淚t鈥檚 never too late to go back. Just do it 鈥� It鈥檚 not as hard as you would think, and it鈥檚 definitely worth it.鈥� Craig and Chyanne look forward to when they get to walk down the aisle at graduation together鈥� What a proud and memorable moment that will be!