MAYHEW — A former “dummy” wised up this year.
Lloyd Watts, 27, of Starkville was one of 23 students to receive GED diplomas Dec. 6 at East Mississippi Community College’s Golden Triangle campus, and one of three recipients to address the crowd of family and friends.
Fresh off an eight-year stretch in the Mississippi Department of Corrections, Watts couldn’t stop smiling during the completion ceremony, flashing a mouth full of gold teeth as he shared his story with a crowd of hundreds at the Golden Triangle campus Lyceum. He kept on smiling as he accepted his diploma and again as he posed for pictures with his mother and father.
Watts displayed a good-natured, self-deprecating wit during his address as he recalled a piece of advice his mother tried for years to make him understand: “You could learn a lot from a dummy.”
The “dummies” from Watt’s youth were the shady characters with whom he spent his time committing crimes. Now he holds himself up as the former dummy, one that others can learn from.
“I thought I was being so smart, doing what I wanted to do, not listening to my parents,” Watts said. “I got myself in bad situations and my parents would get me out. Then I’d do the same thing again. This last time it was time for a change.”
The last time cost Watts eight years of his life, but it changed him for good. Watts began working toward his GED while still in prison through classes from EMCC. He discovered an aptitude he never knew he had and began tutoring fellow inmates also working toward their GEDs.
Released in September 2011, Watts began a new chapter. He plans to return to EMCC in January to enroll in the commercial truck driving program.
“It’s such a relief,” he said, holding his GED. “By having that paper, I can do a lot more than be stuck behind closed doors.”
EMCC President Dr. Rick Young encouraged the entire class to do the same as Watts and seek additional education: “Even if you don’t go to EMCC, go somewhere.”
Jason Williams, an earlier GED recipient from EMCC’s Adult Basic Education program, also gave his testimony as keynote speaker for the evening. Williams, who is enrolled in the nursing program at Itawamba Community College, said earning his GED as the first decisive step toward his future.
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