Recent Wyoming college graduate honored for not giving up

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — When George Jankowski graduated with an associate of arts degree in social sciences from Laramie County Community College Saturday, it was a long time coming.

Jankowski, a former medic in the U.S. Air Force in his mid-30s, didn’t take a conventional path to higher education. He moved to Cheyenne in 2008, right after he got out of the military, and worked a series of different jobs until enrolling at LCCC four years ago.

For him, attending college was about proving to himself he could achieve what he set out to do, and cross the finish line with a college degree in hand, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported.

“I wanted to do something with my life,” said Jankowski, who is a first-generation college graduate. “I wanted to do something that I could be proud of.”

That determination is part of the reason why Laura Hayes, the instructor who taught Jankowski entry-level English, nominated him for this year’s Stalcup Student Excellence Award. The award, which Jankowski won, recognizes students who have made a commitment to serving LCCC and the broader community of Cheyenne.

“George is not a quitter, and that makes him exceptional,” said Hayes, who has stayed in touch with Jankowski during his four years at LCCC. When Jankowski struggled to complete some of his coursework, Hayes was impressed that “he came back and found something that would work.”

Hayes has been teaching community college for 20 years, and said she’s seen “so many students get defeated, internalize their failure and not come back.” But George “never gave up.”

In addition to finding his stride academically, Jankowski put a lot of energy into making the campus community a place where everyone can thrive. He was a member of the academic honor society Phi Theta Kappa, the student veterans...