Inside the auditorium on the campus of Wallace Community College Selma sat anxious graduates ready to receive their diplomas. They had spent the past several months studying, working and preparing for this day.

Finally, they were ready to celebrate their accomplishment in front of family members and friends.

Like the theme of the commencement ceremony, these students were about see a piece of their dreams realized.

This graduation ceremony marked the completion of the charter class of Selma Works, a adult education and training program created through the efforts of Mayor James Perkins, Jr., Sen. Hank Sanders, and WCCS President Dr. James Mitchell.

The goal of Selma Works, which began in February, is to reduce unemployment and help residents take advantage of new jobs coming into the area.

The program provides remediation for those who do not have a high school diploma, or have not been in school for several years, and are looking for job in a new field.

“It all started with a sketch on a yellow piece of paper brought to me by Mayor Perkins, and not it has grown into this graduation exercise,” said Mitchell. “Without Mayor Perkins and Senator Sanders, this would not be possible.”

There were 14 students who received certificates for the dual-track training of Selma Works, which means they completed the education portion of the program as well as 18 hours of job-readiness training.

Another 24 students received certificates for completing just the job-readiness training.

“This is just the beginning,” said Perkins during his address to the graduates. “I want you all to encourage more people to come to Selma Works.”

Callie Braxter, who spoke during the commencement as a representative of Selma Works graduates, described the program as a bridge that helped her get back into the work force after a long absence.

“I stand before you a proud graduate of Selma Works,” Braxter said during her speech. “I stumbled upon Selma Works by accident, but I didn’t realize I was looking for it. Selma Works remediated me on basic education and readied me for my job. There had been so many changes in jobs over the years that I hadn’t thought about. Selma Works really helped me get to where I needed to be.”

The speaker for the graduation was Kenneth Smiley, project manager for Alabama Industrial Development Training.

Smiley told the students that by completing Selma Works that they had proven four basic fundaments by completing Selma Works-determination, resolve, energy, attitude, and motivation.

“By graduating from Selma Works, you have completed these actions in order to fulfill your dream,” Smiley said.

The graduation ended with Mitchell reminding all those who attended how important the free Selma Works is to the community.

“Hopefully, this program will work itself out of the system and become an interracial part of the (kindergarten) through college education system,” Mitchell said.

After graduation, the students, family, friends, and WCCS faculty gathered in the school’s lunchroom for a reception honoring the charter class of Selma Works.