SOUTH PORTLAND – Five years after starting its own adult education program, the South Portland School Department will host its first-ever graduation ceremony this week.

During the event, which will be held at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday, May 15, at the high school, 18 students will receive their high school equivalency degrees.

This is not just a milestone for the local adult education program, according to coordinator David Brenner, it’s also a highlight for the students who likely thought they might never earn a high school diploma.

In all, Brenner said, the South Portland Adult Education program has 236 students, including those taking enrichment classes, as well as those who are taking courses to help them pass their high school equivalency exams.

Brenner said South Portland initially partnered with Portland in offering adult education and then three years ago the school department brought the program in-house. Even so, up until this year all those graduating from the South Portland program received their diplomas from Portland High School.

Among those receiving a diploma from the South Portland Adult Education program this week is 19-year-old Dyani Bobea.

Originally from Lawrence, Mass., Bobea completed her high school equivalency exams while pregnant. She recently gave birth to a son, Joah, who will be in the audience on Thursday.

Bobea was referred to the adult education program by her counselor and said her future plans include attending the University of Southern Maine and working part time.

Brenner said that while “every student who attends adult education has a story. Dyani’s story is inspiring.”

While a student at Lawrence High School, Bobea initially attended the humanities & leadership development program. But then she transferred to the high school learning center instead and ended up dropping out because she was living on her own and didn’t have reliable transportation.

When Bobea’s mother moved to Maine, she stayed behind because she wanted to graduate from high school with her friends, but that didn’t end up happening.

After becoming pregnant this past fall, Bobea came to Maine to live with her mother. The two then discussed Bobea’s options for earning a high school diploma.

She could have enrolled at South Portland High School, but Bobea didn’t have enough credits to graduate this June with the senior class. That’s when she was referred to the adult education program.

“The program definitely helped me meet my goals,” she said. “My goal was not only to graduate this year, but to also pass my (high school equivalency exams) before Joah’s arrival.”

Bobea added, “I would tell other people that South Portland Adult Ed is definitely the place to go if (regular) high school isn’t an option. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who would like to get their GED. The staff there helped me get to where I had to be.”

Bobea also said that the staff at the adult ed program made her feel comfortable and, “I didn’t feel judged at all. It felt like studying at home. David Brenner did such a great job motivating me, working with my schedule, preparing me, assigning me to an outstanding teacher – Mr. Barry – but most of all he did a great job graduating me.”

Brenner said the strong relationship he formed with Bobea almost didn’t happen because he nearly turned her away from the adult ed program due to a misunderstanding.

Bobea told him she had attended Lawrence High School and that the school would have the information about how many credits she had and how many classes she had passed.

But Brenner was not thinking of Lawrence High in Massachusetts. Instead he first contacted Lawrence High School in Fairfield, Maine, which had no records regarding Bobea.

“Dyani and I got off to an interesting start. She told me she had attended Lawrence High School, so I requested her records to see how close she might be to earning her high school diploma vs. getting her (high school equivalency credential),” Brenner said.

But, the high school in Maine “had never heard of her. I pressed her on it, and she insisted she had attended Lawrence High. I could tell she was being truthful. So I contacted Lawrence High in Fairfield again. I tried various spellings of her first and last names. I had no luck. About two weeks into this fiasco, she said to me – ‘You are calling Lawrence High in Lawrence, Mass., right?’ ”

Brenner said he and Bobea are now able to laugh about the miscues that almost kept her out of the South Portland Adult Education program.

And he said, “Toward the end of Dyani’s pregnancy there were nights I wasn’t sure she’d have the energy to come to class. But she did. She was incredibly motivated to earn her credential.”

Dyani Bobea is graduating from the South Portland Adult Education’s high school equivalency program on Thursday. Also pictured is her son, Joah.