y RITA DE SILVALIHU’E—Ronnie Gudoy and Reginald Ragasa are pals. They work together. They attended high school together. Three years ago, they even dropped out together. This week, they’re both walking on Cloud 9. The two Garden Island mailroom employees
y RITA DE SILVALIHU’E—Ronnie Gudoy and Reginald Ragasa are
pals.
They work together. They attended high school together. Three years
ago, they even dropped out together.
This week, they’re both walking on
Cloud 9.
The two Garden Island mailroom employees were among 17 (of 65)
graduates accepting congratulations and the equivalent of a high school diploma
Sunday at the Kaua’i War Memorial Convention Hall as part of the Kaua’i
Community School for Adults program.
It was hard to miss the pride written
all over their faces as they strolled jubilantly across the auditorium stage,
arms held high, to get the piece of paper that could mean a new lease on
life.
It was apparent this was a big moment for both of them.
In 1997,
the high school buddies turned their backs on education and signed themselves
out of high school when they were 17, legally old enough to make the decision
on their own without their parents’ consent.
Regie said he didn’t really
like school and Ronnie would just say that he had problems there.
So they
dropped out, Regie first and Ronnie a short while later.
At first, both
agree, being out of school was “fun.” But within a year or two, they regretted
their action.
“We just stayed home,” Ragasa remembers.
It didn’t help
that parents and other family members were disappointed and unhappy that they
had left school.
“My parents told me I had to get a job and medical
coverage,” Ronnie said.
That’s when he first discovered how important a
high school diploma could be.
“You can’t work, it’s hard to get a job,” he
said.
Regie found a job at The Garden Island a year after he dropped out
and has worked here ever since. This year, he put in a good word for his friend
who also works at the paper now.
But jobs weren’t the only thing bothering
Ronnie and Regie.
“I wanted to redeem myself,” Ronnie said. “Everyone was
looking at me like, ‘This guy’s nothing because he dropped out.’ “
“They
treated us like we were a piece of crap,” Ragasa agreed.
It was Regie who
heard about the KCSA program first.
“We thought about it and talked about
it and decided it wouldn’t hurt to try,” he said.
After nearly a year of
night classes three hours a day, two days a week, they saw their dream come
true.
“We did it!” It’s a great feeling,” Ronnie said.
Praising their
teacher, Stanford Oshiro, the new graduates say they now feel more prepared for
life.
“It was great,” Regie said, “It taught me a lot about life and jobs
and made me more confident in the things I do.”
For Ronnie, his new
diploma means people will finally give him more respect.
“I was the only
one in the family who dropped out,” he said. “It made our family ‘shame.’
Both families are now very happy.
“They thought we were lying about
going to school and getting a diploma,” Ronnie laughs. “Now they
believe.”
Ronnie is the son of Art and Gening Gudoy of Eleele. Vangie and
Roger Ragasa of Kekaha are Regie’s parents.
Earning his diploma has made
Regie feel like he has been “born again” and given one more chance in
life.
“I feel like we’ve accomplished a lot and I’m now ready to start
looking for even more challenges,” he said.
Ronnie, who “feels like a new
man,” is considering taking night courses at Kaua’i Community College.
“I
said to myself, I got my diploma, anything is possible!”
Their advice to
other students thinking of dropping out?
“Don’t do it because it will hurt
you in the end,” Regie advised.
But anyone who has already left school and
is thinking of trying to earn their diploma should go for it, Ronnie
said.
“If you want it, try it. You have nothing to lose. You’re only going
to gain,” he added.
He also wanted to send a final message to today’s
kids.
“Always listen to your mommies. Maybe you think it’s not good but
they’re telling you the truth,” he said seriously.
“I wasn’t listening
before. Now I know that everything they say is what’s best for you. It’s all
for your good.”