INDIANAPOLIS — April is National Second Chance Awareness Month, and a local organization is helping give Hoosiers involved in the justice system a second chance at an education.
Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana opened the Excel Center in southeast Indianapolis.
It's one of two dozen across the state that provide free education to adults.
“The one thing that I always wanted to do was get a high school diploma to walk across that stage and to graduate,” said Taylor Martin.
The 23-year-old dropped out of high school during the pandemic.
A few years later, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and went to a rehab facility.
“After I got out of the place that I was at for a week, I immediately signed up for school.”
However, shortly after she enrolled, she was arrested in events related to months earlier.
“I was scared I couldn't come back, but they were very reassuring that I could,” Martin said.
She worked with the Excel Center while on house arrest to make sure she didn’t fall behind in school.
This February, Martin graduated with her Indiana Core 40 high school diploma and Certified Veterinary Assistant credential – both earned at The Excel Center, for free.
“To walk across the stage, like, this is something I've waited for my whole life,” Martin told WRTV. “It felt amazing.”
The southeast side location is catered toward students who’ve been involved in the justice system.
It opened in 2023 in partnership with the city, funded by the American Recovery Act.
“Between 20 and 30% of the students that go to this particular school have been justice-involved,” said Betsy Delgado, the senior vice president and chief mission and education officer at Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana.
“It’s on our coaches and on our teachers to make sure that we help them gather those resources so that they can be successful here," she added.
The program helps support Hoosiers when they get out of jail, with things like housing, transportation, and opportunities for certifications in education, to their diplomas.
‘If it wasn’t for them [Excel Center] I probably would not be here right now,” added Martin.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 10% of Marion County adults do not have a high school diploma.
There are now 24 Excel Centers across the state and more than 10,000 Hoosiers graduate since they opened the centers in 2010.
They told WRTV that enrollment has increased since the pandemic.
Anyone interested in enrolling can learn more here.
https://excelcenter.org/enrolllp/
