Category: News

The Excel Center’s first graduate receives a high school diploma and will continue her education.

Brittany Mills tried multiple times to earn her high school diploma after a car accident in 2007 led to her not finishing the credits she needed to graduate. She attempted a credit recovery program and also looked into getting her GED, but it wasn’t until The Excel Center opened that she was able to finish her coursework.

Nineteen years later, Mills is now a high school graduate, the first from The Excel Center. She has earned her diploma alongside a dental assistant certification, and is continuing her education to pursue a career in dental hygiene.

Mills attributes her success to the individual attention and personalized support that she received from The Excel Center team.

“Everyone at The Excel Center wants to help; they look into your future and see what you want to do with your life,” said Mills. “The on-site childcare helped make it possible. My little boy got to come to school with me, and if I didn’t have that, it would have been a challenge.”

“Brittany’s story exemplifies why it was so important for us to open The Excel Center,” said Richmond Vincent, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Valleys. “She is the first of many adults whose lives will be changed through education at The Excel Center. We are proud of her dedication to finishing the classes to earn her diploma.” 

“The support services offered through The Excel Center remove barriers that often keep adults from returning to school,” said Kelley Weems, senior director of community impact at Goodwill Industries of the Valleys. “Brittany’s story shows what’s possible when those barriers are removed. Access to education doesn’t just help someone earn a diploma. It opens the door to new opportunities and a brighter future.”

More than 14,000 adults in the Roanoke Valley do not have a high school diploma. Mills’s graduation is the first step in The Excel Center’s mission to help more adults earn a diploma while preparing for careers that offer long-term stability and growth. Operated by Goodwill Industries of the Valleys, The Excel Center is Virginia’s first public adult high school. The tuition-free school provides flexible scheduling, life coaching, transportation assistance and free childcare so adult learners can pursue their education while balancing work and family responsibilities.

Adult learners at The Excel Center® are one step closer to graduating with their standard high school diploma and an industry-recognized certificate, thanks to a collaboration with Virginia Western Community College. An official signing on Friday, March 13, by Richmond Vincent, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Valleys, and Dr. Laura J. Treanor, President of Virginia Western, solidified the partnership.

The Excel Center’s adult learners will be able to select career pathways in healthcare, light manufacturing and select trades, with each pathway resulting in either a credential or certification. This focus ensures that each graduate leaves The Excel Center with a strong future in the workforce.

“When an adult walks through our doors, they have overcome enormous obstacles just to show up,” said Richmond Vincent, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Valleys. “This partnership with Virginia Western means they earn more than a diploma on graduation day. They leave with a credential that opens a door to the workforce, and that changes the trajectory of entire families.”

While the partnership provides a life-changing opportunity for individual students, its impact radiates far beyond the classroom. Both organizations are working in tandem to bridge the gap between untapped potential and the region’s workforce needs.

“This partnership with The Excel Center is a natural extension of Virginia Western’s commitment to our region,” said Laura J. Treanor, president of Virginia Western Community College. “By connecting adult learners directly to credential pathways, we’re giving people a faster route to stable careers while strengthening the workforce our local employers depend on.”

More than 14,000 adults in the Roanoke Valley do not have a high school diploma. The Excel Center is working to reduce those numbers by providing accelerated coursework toward a standard high school diploma in an environment that provides assistance with common barriers for adult students, including transportation assistance and childcare.

Operated by Goodwill Industries of the Valleys, The Excel Center is the first public adult high school in the Commonwealth and is a national model that has helped more than 15,000 adults across the country graduate high school and earn certifications. Research shows that Excel Center alumni earn 38% more than their peers within five years of graduation, helping them overcome previously existing financial barriers. Ensuring that graduates leave The Excel Center with a credentialed skill is one key to this success.

To learn more about The Excel Center, visit https://excelcentergiv.com/.

Leaders Respond to 500,000 Virginias Without High School Diplomas or GEDs.

Virginia marked a milestone Monday with the opening of the Commonwealth’s first adult high school, giving residents a second chance to earn their diplomas.

The Excel Center, located at Melrose Plaza in Roanoke, welcomed its inaugural class of more than 50 students. Unlike a GED program, the school offers adults a chance to earn an actual high school diploma in just 18 weeks, with the option to add industry certifications tailored to specific career paths.

“To see this happening here is just an exciting representation of the fact that we’re all life-long learners,” Governor Glenn Youngkin told 10 News. “Some just might need that first big step. A high school diploma, their first credential, a certificate that opens up a new avenue for them. And I’m excited to see it embodied right here in Roanoke.”

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A free high school for adults seeking their diploma has been approved to operate in Roanoke by the state Department of Education.

The school, called the Excel Center, will be operated by Goodwill Industries of the Valleys. The nonprofit announced the school in March 2023 as part of its Melrose Plaza project. Goodwill is repurposing part of its regional headquarters at the corner of Melrose Avenue and 24th Street Northwest for the community hub, which will also include a bank branch and health clinic. A grocery store is scheduled to open in the plaza in December. 

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ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Virginia’s first high school for adults has been approved by the Virginia Department of Education and it is coming to Roanoke.

More than 670,000 adults in Virginia do not have high school diplomas. The Roanoke Valley itself has about 14,000 of those adults. But that could soon change, with Goodwill Industries of the Valleys receiving approval for a new high school aimed at that age group.

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