By By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER
Lifestyles & Features Editor
Jymonica Gorham admits she had a few missteps earlier in life, but now, as a student at Beaufort County Ed Tech Center in Washington, she’s on a path that makes her happy and optimistic about the future.
“When I was staying in Rocky Mount, I really didn’t have a good lifestyle and I wasn’t going to school as much as I should have been,” said Gorham, 17.
But all that changed when Gorham moved to Washington to live with her grandmother, Lenture Williams. She learned about the Ed Tech Center and its Pathways program, which helps students catch up on credits for graduation and gives them a boost in life.
“Now, I’ll be able to graduate either on time or close to my graduation year,” Gorham said with pride. “I really didn’t want to still be in high school when I was 20. This is really a good opportunity for people who have screwed up in life and want to do better.”
Gorham is making the most of her time at Ed Tech, where she particularly enjoys the new foods and nutrition class, which teaches students about the food pyramid, cleanliness and food preparation.
“It’s very interesting,” Gorham said of the class. “We have the classroom work, but we also get to mix our sauces, cook the food, and the teacher lets us learn hands-on stuff. I love that class. I currently have an A.”
Ed Tech students prepared the heavy hors d’oeuvres served during the school’s holiday celebration held Thursday evening.
“I’m involved in the Christmas program, serving and cooking food,” Gorham said during a break in the preparations for the party. “I like this school because it gives me more opportunities to do stuff.”
Ed Tech has helped her turn her life around, Gorham said.
“This school is very helpful. It helps you get where you need to be in life,” she said. “It’s just a good opportunity. There are a lot of dangers out there in the world.”
“Jymonica is a student that is very dedicated to her success,” said Lakeisha Johnson, Ed Tech’s testing technician. “Recently, receiving her report card, she was one point away from having all A’s and B’s. She has truly worked hard to achieve those grades.”
The daughter of Tracy and James Gorham of Rocky Mount, Gorham enjoys talking on the telephone and spending time with friends, like any typical teen.
But she also has an eye on a career in law, with hopes of attending Campbell University.
“I’m very interested in being a lawyer,” Gorham said. “My cousin studied criminal justice, and she gave me a book and I’ve been reading it, trying to solve cases.”
Unemployed since the restaurant where she worked closed, Gorham is looking for a job in retail or food service.
In the meantime, she spends her free time reading and babysitting. And she enjoys attending services at Davenport’s Temple Church of God in Christ in Washington.
“I like to hear the Word,” she said.
::Jump Sidebar (with headshot)::
All about Jymonica Gorham …
*School: Beaufort County Ed Tech Center.
*Birthday: July 29.
*Favorite book: “‘Night.’ It’s about the Holocaust.”
*Favorite movie: “Love Don’t Cost a Thing.”
*Favorite TV show: “Ghost Whisperer.”
*Dream job: lawyer.
*If she could spend one day with anyone in history, it would be: “I think it would be Martin Luther King because he had a real nice story and he was a really nice man. He probably could teach me a couple of things.”
*Favorite food: “I guess pizza. I could eat pizza everyday.”
*Favorite entertainer: “Will Smith. I love his movies.”
*Dream vacation: “I think I’d go to China and learn new things about their culture.”
*Secret wish: “I know I’m going to be successful so I don’t have to wish for that. I just wish that in the future I could have a happy life with a husband and children.”