He has done the math - in fact ever since he dropped out of Richland High School at age 14, Ryan Polk has been juggling his numbers and wondering if he would ever be able to finance his dream of becoming a pilot.

These days, things are adding up pretty well for the Hinds Community College freshman who has been enrolled on the Raymond Campus since the fall semester with the help of a GED half-tuition scholarship.

"I can't get over how wonderful it is - that there would be a scholarship for people like me, not being a recent high school graduate," he said. "I'll be 26 years old in March and I have a home to maintain and other obligations. Hinds has given me the opportunity to accomplish things that seemed impossible only a year ago. Most scholarships offered seem to be organized for students just graduating from high school, so I am extremely grateful that Hinds thought about the not-so-traditional students also!"

The home he maintains is in Clinton with his wife, Amanda, 25, who also attends the Raymond Campus full time with a GED stipend. She earned the tuition-free three credit hours awarded to those with high GED scores, and is working hard on her pre-nursing courses to maintain her 4.0 grade point average.

Amanda Polk also left Richland High School at an early age, but not before she and Ryan met and fell in love. Their decisions to leave school, however, were made independently and they both found the road pretty hard.

Ryan took a job framing houses, became a very skilled carpenter and soon he and his father started their own remodel/renovation business, A Lasting Impression, LLC, that he still maintains with the help of his father and step-father. But, always in his mind has been the desire to become a pilot.

"Dropping out at 14 was a very bad mistake," he said. "I saw the military as a way to not only serve my country, but also to get flight training and further my education with the GI Bill. They wanted a high school diploma or GED, so I studied seven months for my GED through Hinds in Jackson. The president of Hinds (Dr. Clyde Muse) even came to our classroom and told us if we got a high enough GED score, he'd give us a free class at Hinds."

At that time he was focused on joining the military. After one branch turned him down for having his gall bladder removed, he applied to another branch that denied him because of the scar resulting from having a tattoo removed as a condition of their acceptance. And recruiters in yet another branch told him there was "no way" he was going to be able to fly.

Amanda, who received a high GED score from her studies at the HCC Utica Campus, also saw a major roadblock to her dream of becoming a nurse. In July 2006, while employed with a Jackson law firm, she suffered detached retinas in both eyes, and her condition made it so that she could no longer work.

In July 2008, after she regained most of her sight through surgeries, the couple took stock of their situation.  

"My dream was always to be a pilot," Ryan said. "And when the military options fell through, Amanda told me, 'Don't worry about it. We're going to go to college; we're going to get an education; we're going to make something of our lives.'"

And neither of them had any idea where the money for that would be coming from.

"So last summer we got in the car and came to Raymond with no clue about Pell grants or scholarships," said Ryan. "And one of the first things we heard was about the GED scholarships. The financial aid office had me fill out a form - I took it to the admissions office - they took one look at it and said with my high score I was eligible for a GED Scholarship - half-tuition if I attended full-time. That blew my mind! 

"And they gave Amanda a GED tuition grant, too. With the Pell grants, that makes it possible to get through to the next semester as far as tuition and our life is concerned. With flight school coming up, at $8,000 a year, saving for that even seems possible too. I work when I can, but without these aids, school just wouldn't be possible."

Ryan has spoken with and received encouragement from Hinds Aviation Department Chairman Randy Pearcy and, knowing now what awaits him at Hinds and in his further education and flight training, he allows his dreams to soar.

"Mr. Pearcy said I just need to get past this first year and see; but he took Amanda and me around and showed us everything. He said after I get my associate's degree in the flight program and get my license to fly, it's possible to stay as an assistant instructor and accrue my flight time. I could do that while Amanda transfers to UMC (University Medical Center) for her bachelor's in nurse practitioner. And then I definitely want to transfer to Delta State because they have a really good aviation program up there."

Entrepreneur that he is, Ryan's imagination extends even beyond the coveted cockpit.

"I have really large ambitions," he admitted. "For now, I want to earn my associate's degree, my commercial flight certificate, pilot's license and bachelor's degree and take the training for a helicopter pilot license in case I decide to fly Medevac or anything of that nature. But my ultimate goal - and this would be really hard to do - is to start my own airport. It would be for smaller aircraft in some underserved, strategically placed area that isn't really accessible."

And Amanda, thinking in terms now of all the promise their lives hold, said that while she would love to be a pediatric or OB-GYN nurse, another big goal for her would be to someday become a flight nurse and bring their careers close together.

"Especially if he's going to be flying and goes into the helicopter program - that lifestyle intrigues me," she said.

Meanwhile, back on the ground at Hinds, when figuring up the "out-go" for books, tuition, house note, utilities, car payment and food on the table, Ryan can see clearly now what he couldn't envision a year ago.

He recently joined Alpha Beta Gamma, and Amanda has been invited into Gamma Lambda, the Phi Theta Kappa scholastic honor society. She also will be recognized as a President's Scholar on Feb. 12.

Another plus for Ryan, his brother, Adam Polk, 23, who also dropped out of Richland High School, caught the education bug by watching Ryan begin a new life. Realizing that he, too, had a dream and an interest in nuclear biology, he studied for his GED at a Rankin County site. He went on to achieve a 317 score on his COMPASS test and now holds a scholarship as a freshman biology major on the Raymond Campus.

"And we have a sister, Lacie, who will be graduating with honors from high school this spring and will also be coming to Hinds," Ryan Polk said.

His desire to transfer to Delta State University for his bachelor's degree in aviation has as much to do with the relationship between the Hinds and DSU programs as it does with the quality of the program.  

"It's not set in stone that I have to go there," he said, "but I understand that it's good for the Hinds aviation program to send its students up there; and I would love to help Hinds in any way possible because they are definitely changing my life."

Hinds has offered GED classes for many years at convenient sites throughout the college's five-county district. Currently there are 40 sites, all part of the Continuing Education program under the direction of Dr. Eldridge Henderson.

The GED scholarship and tuition assistance awards program began at Hinds with the spring 2008 semester. It is made possible by the 2008 dropout recovery legislative grant of $100,000 to each of the state's 15 two-year colleges. The money is to be used by the colleges in ways to help high school dropouts gain credentials.  

"I think it's a great program," Ryan Polk said. "It's geared toward individuals who are a little older. There are tons of scholarships for new high school graduates with decent ACT scores if they apply in time.  But with this GED scholarship, I even came late, heard about it late and registered late - just a week before the fall semester began - and still, they gave me a scholarship. It's extremely beneficial for students who are dropouts - who take the initiative to get their GED and make a decent score - to be able to come to college and be rewarded for our accomplishments."