Nationwide — Shawn Hughes, a 58-year-old African American man from Cincinnati, Ohio, joined GED classes while rebuilding his life at a recovery center. He later found out he already had a high school diploma, even though he had believed for decades that he never graduated.
For years, Hughes thought he had failed to finish high school. He attended Woodward High School, class of 1986, but assumed missing required summer school days meant he never graduated. That belief stayed with him well into adulthood.
“I was absent from school those three days that they gave me, so I assumed I didn’t graduate,” Hughes told WCTV.
Hughes eventually entered recovery for alcohol use disorder at Prospect House, a men’s long-term spiritual recovery center in Cincinnati’s Price Hill neighborhood. He said he reached a breaking point and decided to start over and rebuild his life.
As part of that reset, he enrolled in GED classes through a Cincinnati Public Schools program. A few weeks into the course, staff called him in for an unexpected update.
“They called me to the office and told me, ‘Shawn, you already have your diploma.’ And I was like, ‘What?’” Hughes said.
The discovery changed the direction of what he thought would be a long academic path. Prospect House executive director Paul Quertermous said the center supports men in recovery through housing and shared community routines, where residents at different stages support each other.
Even after learning he already had his diploma, Hughes continued moving forward. He still took part in a graduation ceremony through the CPS program, which offers free day and evening classes for adults working toward GED completion.
Today, Hughes works as a cook at Prospect House while continuing his recovery journey. He is also planning to study robotics in college and rebuild his relationship with his children.