MEL TOADVINE Tanya Cattouse, who recently earned her GED at the same time her son graduted from high school.

An 18-year-old Lehigh student who graduated from Gateway Charter School recently starts classes on July 6 at Rasmussen College in Fort Myers in hopes of getting a bachelor’s degree in computer programming.

Jaran Simms graduated about the same time as did his mother, 36-year-old Tanya Cattouse, who easily obtained her GED.

“It was something I wanted to do,” said Cattouse. “And it was great to graduate the same time with my son who graduated from high school.

“We laugh and say we graduated and got our high school diplomas the same time,” Cattouse said. “I’m very happy to see my son go on to higher education. He knows what he wants and he starts next week after a short break.”

She said she was happy with getting her GED, an equivalency to a high school diploma with all A’s and B’s. And now she is helping to teach others to get their GED.

PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE CITIZEN Jaran Simms, 18, and his mother and the rest of the family pose at Simms’ graduation ceremony from Gateway Charter High School.

“It’s important I tell them that they get their GED and from there go on to higher education in some form. You need all the education and skills to get a good job,” she said.

Jaran, who will be 19 in September, says he is going to continue to live at home to help save money while attending the Fort Myers college. He wants to find a part-time job while he is attending college.

The family moved to Florida in 1997 from New York. They first moved to Sarasota in 2005 and later to Lehigh three years later. All are U.S. citizens.

“While we were living in Brooklyn, we saw ads about Lehigh Acres, so we thought we would go as far as Sarasota and then when we got here, we came to Lehigh and we liked it, so we made the move.

Mom isn’t stopping just with her GED. She said she is going to attend Fort Myers Technical College where she will study early childhood care and earn her certification to teach. She will be attending from 8:30 in the morning to 2:30 in the afternoon.

Their graduations from high school (hers with a GED), were within two days.

Tanya, the mother, said she had to leave school when she was 14 to take care of her young family members when she lived in Jamaica.

“But my desire was to always get back in school. I enjoyed learning and I wanted to get a diploma. With that diploma in hand, she said she was certified to teach something she enjoys mathematics to future GED students.

She said she should be doing some teaching for GED students in August. She also plans to do some volunteer teaching at the Literacy Council of the Gulf Coast in Bonita.

She said schedules are being worked out now for her participation in helping others get their GEDs.

“I also was certified to teach GED English as a second language to Spanish-speaking people,” she said.

“My son and I used to laugh and say that why not graduate from high school together and then continue our education together at the same time. He’s a smart one and helps me with my homework.”

Her husband, Brassel Cattouse, supports both his wife and stepson and said he is happy to see their accomplishments.

“We celebrated that weekend when we both graduated and we also celebrated my husband’s birthday. It was a crazy weekend,” Cattouse said.

She said she also helps out with one of the GED classes that is held at the East County Regional Library in Lehigh “whenever they call me.”

She called the Internet a great resource when she was studying to get her GED.

She has another son, Dale, who is 12 and is in the academic classes in the Cambridge Program, she said. “He is watching to get a scholarship someday.”

“I feel good and I am encouraged with my first diploma,” she said.