For Adult Graduates, a Diploma Lights the Way to a Better Future; WCBS-TV Anchor Maurice DuBois and Thirteen/WNET New York Salute GED Graduates and Other Adult Education Students in Annual Recognition of Lifelong Learning.

NEW YORK -- A diverse student body gathered in the main studio of public television station Thirteen/WNET New York on Tuesday, June 20, 2006 to celebrate a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. The students came from various personal backgrounds and walks of life, but they all had one very important thing in common: they were all there to claim their General Educational Development (GED) diplomas and other certificates, and to hear an inspiring keynote address by Maurice DuBois, anchor of CBS 2 News This Morning.

Among the graduates at the ceremony were students who earned their GED diplomas through the on-air course GED Connection, which is part of Thirteen's larger initiative to provide comprehensive educational resources and services to teachers and students of all ages.

"Today we're talking about people who are in all stages of life doing what it takes to get into the main stream and education is the main building block. I'm just here to support that," said Mr. DuBois.

"Since I passed my GED, new doors have opened for me. I am now enrolled in pre-college classes and am also a substitute paraprofessional in the New York City Department of Education," GED Graduate Dondrew Armstong, a resident of Brooklyn originally from Barbados, told the audience, "I am not prepared to let anything or anyone set me back or slow me down from achieving my goal of becoming an early childhood or elementary school teacher."

"I thank channel Thirteen for giving me the chance to study for my GED; it has been a really great experience for me," said Staten Island resident Francois Sene, who hails from Senegal. "I am very happy because I have achieved a portion of my educational goal."

Perhaps Samantha Brijmohan, a native of Guyana who lives in The Bronx, summed up the day saying, "Although we share a common achievement today, we also share diverse stories that have led us to this point. Individually, our diplomas weigh and signify their own unique and personal meanings in our lives."

Tuesday's cap-and-gown ceremony also included GED, Adult Basic Education and English as a Second Language (ESL) students from alternative high schools and other programs in the tri-state area, particularly those of the New York City Department of Education.

Members of this year's graduating class and past graduates of the annual Thirteen event shared their feelings of accomplishment and their hopes for the future, and celebrated with music and poetry. On hand to recognize the students were Shaneequa Wright, public affairs manager for Con Edison and Dr. William F. Baker, president and chief executive officer, Thirteen/WNET New York.

Con Edison has provided major corporate support for Thirteen's Adult Education Projects since 1989. Promotional support for Thirteen's Adult Education Projects is provided by WBLS-FM Radio, Hoy newspaper, and the New York Amsterdam News.

Further information about Thirteen's adult education projects can be found in the Thirteen online pressroom: http://www.thirteen.org/pressroom - type in "Adult Education Releases."

Thirteen/WNET New York is one of the key program providers for public television, bringing such acclaimed series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Charlie Rose, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, Wide Angle, Secrets of the Dead, and Cyberchase - as well as the work of Bill Moyers - to audiences nationwide. As the flagship public broadcaster in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut metro area, Thirteen reaches millions of viewers each week, airing the best of American public television along with its own local productions such as The Ethnic Heritage Specials, The Thirteen Walking Tours, New York Voices, and Reel New York. Thirteen extends the impact of its television productions with educational and community outreach projects - including the Celebration of Teaching and Learning in spring 2006. And as broadcast and digital media converge, Thirteen is blazing trails in the creation of Web sites, enhanced television, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, educational software, and other cutting-edge media products. More information about Thirteen can be found at: www.thirteen.org.