A Beaufort County Ed Tech student, in the face of adversity, has realized the purpose of his education and risen above the odds to choose his own path.

Donjhai Cox, a soon-to-be graduate of the Pathways program at the Ed Tech Center, attributes his recent turnaround to his humorous approach to education as well as a steadfast desire to graduate earlier than most do — at the age of 16. Cox will not only walk with his fellow seniors this June, but he will also give a speech on behalf of his graduating class.

Pathways is a program in which a student can graduate after attaining 21 credits as opposed to Beaufort County’s traditional 28-credit graduates said Sarah Hodges, public information officer for Beaufort County Schools. The state allows the county to set its own graduation requirements. The track is modified, but no less stringent.

Cox, who decided he was not comfortable in a larger setting and was falling behind as a result, chose to attend Ed Tech under the Pathways program and get serious about his education. He also denounces the taboo associated with Ed Tech that all its students are there because they are bad kids.

“I was thinking it was just time for me to graduate,” Cox said. “I wanted to graduate early and someone told me about the Ed Tech Center and that’s when I decided it was time to get everything going. Now that I attend Ed Tech people ask me, ‘Oh, so you’re a bad kid now.’ I tell them ‘Going to this school doesn’t mean you’re bad or slow. It means you want to find a different path — your own path.’”

Cox said prior to attending the school, he felt like he was limited as an individual and felt like he could not express himself. He also did not play sports as a result of his grades, making it hard for him to stay motivated when it came to his schoolwork. It was difficult for him to stay on task and focus.

“If I stay quiet, my mind just zones out, but when I am here in class, actually talking and participating, I can focus and get into my schoolwork,” Cox said. “I knew I needed to stay motivated.”

Cox said his perspective has changed and he uses humor to keep a positive attitude about his education and life in general. Now, if he misses school, he will come back and stay after school to get it done. He has also seen from some family members what paths do not work and what paths he wants to shy away from, including drugs and incarceration.

Another important factor in Cox’s transition is his relationship with his teachers. Cox said his teachers at Ed Tech take the time to sit down with students and find out what they’ve been through and take the time to get to know them. Mendi Lewis, Cox’s English III and English IV teacher, boasts about his maturity, leadership and success.

“He’s just amazing,” Lewis said. “If I’m having a bad day, all he has to do is walk in the room and he just makes me smile. He’s really doing well, he’s on his path, he’s worked hard and he’s blazing through it. His maturity has skyrocketed.”

Lewis said Cox hit a point in his education this year around February or March in which he realized what he is supposed to be doing.

Cox said he is excited about his graduation in June and realizes the value of having a high-school diploma. He plans to attend Louisburg College as an undergraduate before transferring to East Carolina University’s School of Nursing.

“This school has changed my life a lot,” Cox said. “It has really turned everything around. Everything in life happens for a reason, but you gotta keep moving. I don’t stress or dwell on the negative because it will hold me back. I know I have to stay motivated and get this diploma or I will be limited in society. A lot of my family didn’t graduate and I want to make my own path. What I’m going to do is graduate and go to college and create a way for myself. If it’s negative, I always try to go around it.”