When Rachel Doughty of Windham attends her first nursing class at Southern Maine Community College this fall, it will be the culmination of a journey of perseverance and determination.
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| Rachel Doughty speaks during the Maine Adult Education Association Legislative Breakfast in Augusts on Feb. 29. COURTESY PHOTO |
Not being comfortable as a high school dropout, Doughty pushed herself and adjusted her schedule to be able to earn her HiSET high school equivalency diploma with her family’s encouragement.
“I dropped out of Windham High School halfway through my junior year in 2018. At the time, I was in a sticky, tough spot in life. I was battling myself at such a young age and I made poor decisions and held onto bad relationships with the wrong crowd,” Doughty said. “Once I did drop out, I knew I made a mistake and would later regret it. I loved school, I loved my friends and teachers, and I actually missed school and even doing homework before I started going downhill with it. I was in a few honors classes, with English/Writing being one of my favorites. Once I dropped out, I regretted it all when I acknowledged how good I was doing before things got tough in my personal life.”
DEVASTATED
She was devastated when she noticed her classmates posting graduation pictures on social media only a year later in 2019.
“I was completely distraught and devastated. I cried for days and avoided opening Facebook or Instagram to see everyone’s photos,” Doughty said. “I wanted to be on that stage in my cap and gown with them all so bad. After the years went by and I had my son, Levi, I decided I needed to get my diploma to let go of that regret and push hard to make something better out of my regrets. I told myself that I needed to get my diploma and let it lead me to bigger and better opportunities in life.”
Enrolling with Windham/Raymond Adult Education, Doughty started by taking pretests in math, science, social studies, language and writing to determine what she already knew or remembered from high-school and to help give her teachers an idea as to how ready she was for the actual HiSET exams. She successfully passed all of her pretest exams and was then able to begin real testing for the HiSET.
"I passed every single real HiSET exam on my first try, except for math,” Doughty said. “I had to go back and do some tutoring in math with Jessica Conley before trying the math test again. On my second attempt at my math exam after all the tutoring, I passed.”
“I was completely distraught and devastated. I cried for days and avoided opening Facebook or Instagram to see everyone’s photos,” Doughty said. “I wanted to be on that stage in my cap and gown with them all so bad. After the years went by and I had my son, Levi, I decided I needed to get my diploma to let go of that regret and push hard to make something better out of my regrets. I told myself that I needed to get my diploma and let it lead me to bigger and better opportunities in life.”
Enrolling with Windham/Raymond Adult Education, Doughty started by taking pretests in math, science, social studies, language and writing to determine what she already knew or remembered from high-school and to help give her teachers an idea as to how ready she was for the actual HiSET exams. She successfully passed all of her pretest exams and was then able to begin real testing for the HiSET.
"I passed every single real HiSET exam on my first try, except for math,” Doughty said. “I had to go back and do some tutoring in math with Jessica Conley before trying the math test again. On my second attempt at my math exam after all the tutoring, I passed.”
According to Doughty, every single one of her family members has supported her new-found interests with nursing and finishing school.
“On top of my own determination to get my HiSET, I had my mom and dad encouraging me the most,” she said. “My siblings and my friends were there to cheer me on. My dad, Dale Doughty, has been a firefighter for Windham nearly my entire life and he has his EMT credentials. I think his passion for helping others made him excited for me and my interest in the medical field. My mom has always been very supportive of me, and she always tells me that she believes I have a purpose that would surprise us both. I think I’ve pretty much nailed that by pursuing nursing.”
She says the decision to study nursing was easy because she already possesses a passion for helping others.
“I’ve always loved science and health, and when I begin to think about how incredible the human body is and how it functions, I am completely fascinated. The idea of being someone who plays a role, big or small, with helping someone to heal feels incredible,” Doughty said. “Becoming a nurse was never anything I imagined I could do without the help of Adult Education and the wonderful programs it has to offer. The free college program has proved to me that my life still has full potential, and I am capable of redeeming myself and creating a better future for my son and I.”
MOVING FORWARD
“On top of my own determination to get my HiSET, I had my mom and dad encouraging me the most,” she said. “My siblings and my friends were there to cheer me on. My dad, Dale Doughty, has been a firefighter for Windham nearly my entire life and he has his EMT credentials. I think his passion for helping others made him excited for me and my interest in the medical field. My mom has always been very supportive of me, and she always tells me that she believes I have a purpose that would surprise us both. I think I’ve pretty much nailed that by pursuing nursing.”
She says the decision to study nursing was easy because she already possesses a passion for helping others.
“I’ve always loved science and health, and when I begin to think about how incredible the human body is and how it functions, I am completely fascinated. The idea of being someone who plays a role, big or small, with helping someone to heal feels incredible,” Doughty said. “Becoming a nurse was never anything I imagined I could do without the help of Adult Education and the wonderful programs it has to offer. The free college program has proved to me that my life still has full potential, and I am capable of redeeming myself and creating a better future for my son and I.”
MOVING FORWARD
Her friends agree that Doughty has done the best that she can, and they are proud that she’s continuing to keep moving forward and upward in life, she said.
“Most of my friends also attended Windham High School and remember the time I dropped out. I know for a fact that they would all agree how I’ve come such a long way since dropping out. Back then, I never would’ve believed any of these great opportunities could happen to me. I never would’ve believed just how much I could grow and thrive out of the holes I had fallen into,” Doughty said. “I certainly never would have thought I would ever be in a position to pursue nursing and actually feel good about it. I hope I’ve surprised my friends as much as I have surprised myself with my accomplishments. I hope it inspires others who feel like they’re stuck or that they ‘can’t do that thing they’ve always wanted or dreamed of’ when I have truly discovered that you really can do anything you set your heart and mind to. I want to continue to prove to myself that I can be something incredible and I can do incredible things, all because I haven’t given up, and that’s all it takes. Just never give up and you will get exactly where you want to be.”
Her most endearing memory from her Windham/Raymond Adult Education journey is the satisfaction of receiving her diploma.
“That feeling I had when I passed all of my HiSET exams was exhilarating. It felt like a weight being lifted off my shoulders, coming from all of the regrets I had after dropping out and finally making it so many years later,” she said. “I will also never forget when Tom Nash invited me to publicly speak at the Legislative Breakfast event, and writing my own speech about my journey because he and Jessica Trimmer said I was an ‘outstanding, star student.’ I loved attending that event, it was at the Senator Inn in Augusta, the event started as early as 7 a.m. so Windham/Raymond Adult Education offered to pay for my own room within the Senator Inn so I wouldn’t have to drive the long commute so early in the morning. I will never forget any of the gratitude the people and program showered me with and the honor that I felt.” <
“Most of my friends also attended Windham High School and remember the time I dropped out. I know for a fact that they would all agree how I’ve come such a long way since dropping out. Back then, I never would’ve believed any of these great opportunities could happen to me. I never would’ve believed just how much I could grow and thrive out of the holes I had fallen into,” Doughty said. “I certainly never would have thought I would ever be in a position to pursue nursing and actually feel good about it. I hope I’ve surprised my friends as much as I have surprised myself with my accomplishments. I hope it inspires others who feel like they’re stuck or that they ‘can’t do that thing they’ve always wanted or dreamed of’ when I have truly discovered that you really can do anything you set your heart and mind to. I want to continue to prove to myself that I can be something incredible and I can do incredible things, all because I haven’t given up, and that’s all it takes. Just never give up and you will get exactly where you want to be.”
Her most endearing memory from her Windham/Raymond Adult Education journey is the satisfaction of receiving her diploma.
“That feeling I had when I passed all of my HiSET exams was exhilarating. It felt like a weight being lifted off my shoulders, coming from all of the regrets I had after dropping out and finally making it so many years later,” she said. “I will also never forget when Tom Nash invited me to publicly speak at the Legislative Breakfast event, and writing my own speech about my journey because he and Jessica Trimmer said I was an ‘outstanding, star student.’ I loved attending that event, it was at the Senator Inn in Augusta, the event started as early as 7 a.m. so Windham/Raymond Adult Education offered to pay for my own room within the Senator Inn so I wouldn’t have to drive the long commute so early in the morning. I will never forget any of the gratitude the people and program showered me with and the honor that I felt.” <
