TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — "You have bright futures ahead" said city of Tallahassee commissioner Jacqueline "Jack" Porter.
"You got your GED You got your certification lets keep going" said commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox.
Tallahassee's sending a powerful message to this year's TEMPO graduating cohort.
One hundred and twenty one students graduated Friday.
Of the graduates, 67 secured GED certificates or alternative to high school diplomas.
A total of 54 earned technical certificates from Lively Technical College and Tallahassee Community College.
One by one, they walked across the stage towards the next step in successful careers.
For graduates like Queen Lovett, it's been a long time coming.
She got her GED from the program.
Now, she's using her voice to inspire others.
"Don't give up and when it gets hard, just know that it's going to get easier once you get finished" said Lovett.
The TEMPO Program provides a path to help at risk youth with educational and work training opportunities.
Kimball Thomas, Director of Housing and Community Resilience said this program helps young people find a path to success and move out of generational poverty.
"So now they can go out and get jobs they can have the kind of salaries they need to be able to move out of generational poverty to generational wealth" said Kimball Thomas.
A transition graduates like Lovett said is the goal.
"It is a new chapter in my life" said Lovett.
TEMPO also offers bi-weekly life coaching and mentoring for disconnected young people.
TEMPO is a program for late teens and young adults from ages 16 to 24 in the Tallahassee area.
It gives them with a network of education and work programs and offers a new path for those most likely to turn or be targeted for crime as a victim, suspect or perpetrator.
