Some people take the straight path to success. Others take a winding road and are all the better for it, Ashley Eicholtz told the Lawrence adult education graduating class.
No one was better poised to understand the experiences of the 2026 graduates than Eicholtz, the program coordinator, as she described how she once sat in their seats.
Eicholtz became a mom at 16 and dropped out of high school. In 2004, she enrolled in the Lawrence Adult Education Center program. Her son, she told the graduates, was too tiny to conceptualize a GED, but he was her motivation nonetheless.
“While many people looked at me and saw statistics, limitations, and a dead end, I saw a reason to fight harder,” she said.
One week ago, Eicholtz claimed her associate degree in pre-law. Her dream is to one day be an attorney.
“When you leave here tonight, I hope you remember this. You are not behind, you are not disqualified by your past,” she said. “You are not defined by your worst mistake, your hardest season, or the amount of time it took you to get your degree. You are the architects of your future, and you are capable of extraordinary things.”
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This year’s 29 Lawrence Adult Learning Center graduates have earned a Kansas State High School diploma from the Kansas Board of Regents for completing the GED test.
Those who graduated from the Diploma Completion Program earned diplomas from local high schools: this year, 13 from Free State and 12 from Lawrence High.
Genevieve Sloan, a GED graduate, took the mic and encouraged her peers to celebrate themselves. She was met with a chorus of whoops and cheers.
Sloan recounted wise words from a woman she met that sparked her desire to return to school: “Knowledge is the only thing someone cannot take away from you.”
She urged her cohort to take chances, learn something new every day and be proud.
“If we remember that life is not measured by fame or fortune, but by the connections we have to those in the world around us, and we take time and care to lend a hand, we can lead a happy and rewarding life,” Sloan said.
As a “Congrats Grad” balloon floated above the crowd of friends, family and loved ones gathered to celebrate their scholars, Principal Mark Preut rallied a round of applause for the communities that backed the 2026 graduating class.
He said that as he prepared for his speech, the word that kept coming to mind was “choices” and how we are defined by those decisions we make every day.
“I assume many of you here today found yourselves in a position where a myriad of choices put you in a tough spot, but the story doesn’t end there,” Preut said. “You turned the tables on those choices by choosing to attain your diploma or your GED. Neither comes easy, and they define a level of work and commitment.”
Jeanice Swift, superintendent of Lawrence Public Schools, joined Preut in commending graduates for their strength, resolve and fortitude. She acknowledged the world crises, like a global pandemic, that hit in the course of graduates’ K-12 education.
“Yes, you’ve seen some things and persevered through all of that,” she said. “I want you to know that we see you, we hear your voices, we honor each of your unique stories, and all of the obstacles that you’ve overcome to get to this place as a member of the Class of 2026 tonight.”
Enrollment is open for classes starting in August 2026. Find more information at this link.
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Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at [email protected].
Read their complete bio here. Read their work for the Times here.
Jacob Rice (he/him), photo editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since March 2026. He can be reached at [email protected].
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