![](\"https:\/\/mms.businesswire.com\/media\/20260720934739\/en\/2855372\/5\/Brittany_Mills.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a>![](\"https:\/\/mms.businesswire.com\/media\/20260720934739\/en\/2855367\/5\/Excel_Center_4C.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a>\nNineteen years later, Mills is now a high school graduate, the first from The Excel Center. She has earned her diploma alongside a dental assistant certification, and is continuing her education to pursue a career in dental hygiene.<\/p>
\nMills attributes her success to the individual attention and personalized support that she received from The Excel Center team.<\/p>
\n\u201cEveryone at The Excel Center wants to help; they look into your future and see what you want to do with your life,\u201d said Mills. \u201cThe on-site childcare helped make it possible. My little boy got to come to school with me, and if I didn\u2019t have that, it would have been a challenge.\u201d<\/p>
\n\u201cBrittany\u2019s story exemplifies why it was so important for us to open The Excel Center,\u201d said Richmond Vincent, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Valleys. \u201cShe is the first of many adults whose lives will be changed through education at The Excel Center. We are proud of her dedication to finishing the classes to earn her diploma.\u201d<\/p>
\n\u201cThe support services offered through The Excel Center remove barriers that often keep adults from returning to school,\u201d said Kelley Weems, senior director of community impact at Goodwill Industries of the Valleys. \u201cBrittany\u2019s story shows what\u2019s possible when those barriers are removed. Access to education doesn\u2019t just help someone earn a diploma. It opens the door to new opportunities and a brighter future.\u201d<\/p>
\nMore than 14,000 adults in the Roanoke Valley do not have a high school diploma. Mills\u2019s graduation is the first step in The Excel Center\u2019s mission to help more adults earn a diploma while preparing for careers that offer long-term stability and growth.<\/p>
\nOperated by Goodwill Industries of the Valleys, The Excel Center is Virginia\u2019s first public adult high school. The tuition-free school provides flexible scheduling, life coaching, transportation assistance and free childcare so adult learners can pursue their education while balancing work and family responsibilities.<\/p>
\nABOUT THE EXCEL CENTER\u00ae<\/sup><\/b><\/p> \nThe Excel Center\u00ae<\/sup> is a free adult high school that aims to create opportunities for adults who did not graduate from high school. The program allows students to complete high school coursework while earning workforce credentials and ensures student success by addressing barriers for adult students and providing wraparound services such as childcare, transportation services, and college and career navigation. The Excel Center is an evidence-based, proven educational model that has been used by Goodwill centers across the United States since 2010.<\/p> \nABOUT GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF THE VALLEYS<\/b><\/p> \nGoodwill Industries of the Valleys serves 35 counties and 14 cities throughout Central, Southwest, and Southside Virginia. Our vision of eliminating poverty is fueled by our mission of empowering individuals, strengthening families, and inspiring communities. Your donations and shopping allow Goodwill to provide skills training, job placement, and support services to help people achieve their fullest potential. Visit goodwillvalleys.com<\/a> for more information.<\/p>