"The potential is always within us. I think we are good enough to get what we want in life."--GCC Middle College's Nathan Leon Guerrero

Student Nathan Leon Guerrero delivered a stirring speech, then he and 14 other Germanna Community College students received awards at Monday night's Middle College Reception & Awards Ceremony at GCC's Riverside Center.

Middle College is a free program that prepares students who didn't finish high school, often due to hardships, to earn their GEDs and enter degree programs. In the program's eight years of existence at Germanna, it has prepared 550 students to go on to get their GEDs and put them on the path.

Guerrero noted that some disparagingly call GEDs "Good Enough Degrees." "The potential is always within us," he said in his speech. "I think we are good enough to get what we want in life." He called Middle College "One key that opens the gates for everything."

GCC Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Services Ann Woolford congratulated the students and urged them to continue their educations. "We hope you continue the journey," she said. "This is just the beginning." Dr. Woolford recalled that when she was a student, some asked her when she would finish school and she was embarrassed to say she "had no idea." "Those same people spent their time watching 'I Love Lucy' reruns and going nowhere in life. We want you to have careers." Dr. Woolford noted that those who have college degrees earn twice as much as high school dropouts.

Middle College Director Carolyn Bynum noted that the August earthquake that damaged the Dickinson Building at GCC's Fredericksburg Area Campus and forced the Middle College program to move to Riverside posed a hardship for many Middle College students. The program shrunk from 40 students to 15. She praised those who endured changed schedules and had to find a way to get to Stafford County for classes.

"My sincerest congratulations to all my students for their accomplishments," in the face of the difficulties the move created, Bynum said.

Capital One donates $20,000 to Germanna's Middle College to help high school dropouts get GEDs, make transition to regular college

Raymond R. Hall, District Manager for Capital One, left, and Bill Fulton, the company's Cosner's Corner Branch Manager, pass the first of two annual checks for $10,000 to Germanna Community College Educational Foundation Executive Director Mike Catell and Middle College Director Carolyn Bynum. GCC's Middle College helps young adults who have not earned a high school diploma get their GEDs and make the transition to regular college academic classes and Workforce training. "If this helps one student become a success in life, it will be worth it," Hall said. "We want to give back to people in the community--to people in our back yard. Ninety percent of our local branch associates were born and raised in the area and we want to make a difference here."
"Believe me, this will help more than one person," Bynum said. "Germanna and the Middle College greatly appreciate Capital One's support."
"We look forward to a long relationship with Capital One," Catell said.
Capital One's Fulton said he's gratified that the funds will help "the less fortunate--those that have great need for help-- in the area."
The funds will help GCC Middle College programs from across the region, including Culpeper, Madison and Orange. Middle College is not funded by the state and depends on local donations.

ABC NEWS VIDEO: DORIS BUFFETT PLAYS FAIRY GODMOTHER TO GERMANNA MIDDLE COLLEGE GRADUATE AUNDREA HANDY ON ABC NEWS' NIGHTLINE

Above, philanthropist Doris Buffett, 'The Sunshine Lady,' with Sunshine Lady Foundation board member Diane Grimsley.

Click on graph below to see Nightline report

Nightline visited Germanna recently to capture the moment when philanthropist Doris Buffett surprised Aundrea Handy, who had been homeless before attending GCC's Middle College, which helps high school dropouts get their GEDs and prepares them for college.
Buffett also recently donated $150,000 to the GCC Educational Foundation's Germanna Guarantee Scholarship program and donated the profits from a booksigning at the Fredericksburg Campus to the Middle College.

At a November GCC Educational Foundation dinner, Ms. Buffett heard three Germanna students on scholarships speak and decided to get involved with GCC: “I thought, ‘These are exactly the people we want to help.' I have a high regard for what Germanna's doing. They're into the real world. They're helping people to a good life through a good education."

Carolyn Bynum, director of the Middle College at Germanna, wrote in a letter to Ms. Buffett:

"I can tell you that Aundrea is a remarkable young woman. I knew it from the first moment I met her. She was homeless but not discouraged; down but not out. She knew then and knows now that education is the key to a better life and she is taking on the challenge to ensure a better life for herself and her children. I have no doubt that your foundation made a wise choice in selecting her to benefit from your generosity.

"I would also like to thank you for donating the proceeds of the sales of your book at the recent event at Germanna. These funds will help more young people as they come through Middle College and strive to change their lives as well. I can truly say that working with this program and helping my students find their way to a better future has been the most rewarding experience I have ever had in my professional life. So I can appreciate the warm feeling you must get when you know you have helped so many that may not have otherwise made it through whatever trying situation they may encounter."

Doris Buffett is the big sister of Warren Buffett, one of the world's richest men. She has donated over $100 million of her own money, much of it to individuals like Aundrea after talking with them one on one. At 82, she says her goal in life is to give all of her fortune away to those in need and hopes that her last check bounces