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LIU Brooklyn 2013 valedictorian is graduation speaker at his high school GED Program in Staten Island

A high school dropout himself, William Curran will talk about finding one’s own path

June 13, 2013 From LIU Brooklyn
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William Curran, LIU Brooklyn’s Class of 2013 valedictorian, will be the graduation speaker for the high school GED program from which he graduated. The ceremony will take place on June 17.

Curran, 24, followed an unconventional academic path, dropping out of Tottenville High School on Staten Island when he didn’t find school engaging. After a short period of home schooling (he taught himself), Curran enrolled in a GED program at the Jewish Community Center on Manor Road in Staten Island and received his GED in the same month he would have graduated from high school.

He earned a B.S. degree in Childhood Urban Education summa cum laude and delivered the valedictory address at the May 16 commencement for LIU Brooklyn, LIU Pharmacy and LIU Hudson at Barclays Center. Curran was in the Honors Program and was selected Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society.  
“What I hope to get across in my speech at the GED graduation is that people shouldn’t feel limited or defined by what’s happened to them in the past,” Curran said. “I’m sure every GED recipient had his or her own unique reasons for dropping out of high school and I would like them to know that they should never feel ashamed of themselves for doing so.

“Rather, they should be proud that they found their own path to take and in doing so overcame the very obstacles that made them stumble in the first place. I hope I can help the GED graduates recognize and appreciate what makes each of them special.”
 

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