EAST DUBLIN, Ga. — Some East Laurens High School students might look forward to graduation to escape school. But senior Ronnie Jordan's got a different reason.
"I'm very excited about graduation, so I could at least—whenever it's time for me to get a job—say that I have my diploma," Jordan said.
It's the future that's constantly running through Jordan's mind.
"Just getting out of Georgia and seeing what happens from there. Just rag to riches," Jordan said.
Wherever his post-grad journey takes him, he won't be alone. His nine-month-old son Kizen will be right there with his dad.
"It feels good. Because I didn't have one growing up, and to this day, I still don't have one. So it feels good to actually make him feel like he's loved," Jordan said.
Without a dad in his life, Jordan's mom filled that role.
"We always had a good bond. I loved that she always looked out for me. Make sure I was good," he said.
He lived with his mom, grandparents, and little sister until his sophomore year. That was the year his mom died.
"One day, she got pregnant. She had my baby brother, and after she had him, she started bleeding out. They rushed to Savannah, but she passed on the way getting airlifted," Jordan said.
Afterward, he was separated from his siblings and lived with just his grandparents. Next year, he started taking on more duties—looking after his grandma.
"Last year before, before school started, I called the principal and asked him if I could stay home because before my grandma passed, she had two aneurysms," Jordan said.
As he tried to focus on the future, he felt like his past was repeating all over again.
"I think I missed like at least a month of school because due to being depressed, staying home, not wanting to be around anybody," Jordan said.
He wanted to shut out the world, but he realized that talking to people and letting teachers and staff in helped him crawl out of that dark place.
Charlotte White is the school's administrative assistant who's known Jordan since he was a baby.
"You don't find young men that are mature. Most of the time, it's the women. But Ronnie has really grown," White said.
Jordan says their support and prayers to God have helped him find the steps to move forward.
"I just manifest for better days. That's it. I just pray, hoping better days will come," Jordan said.
After graduation, Jordan plans to join the United States Coast Guard or study construction and welding at Oconee Fall Line Technical College.
He recently won the county's A.C.E. Award, which recognizes high school students who have overcome obstacles on their path to graduation.