Faces of Metro Atlanta’s Dropout Rate: Erica Doud

Jeny Ament / WABE News

  Consider this:  a recent federal report revealed that Georgia has one of the worst graduation rates in the nation — third from the bottom.  Students drop out for a variety of reasons.

Erica Doud dropped out of Gwinnett High School when she was 17 years old.  This is her story, and a warning:  some of the language in this feature may not be appropriate for all listeners. 



Erica Doud talks about dropping out of Gwinnett High School at 17.

Erica went back to Georgia Perimeter College and excelled in Auto Mechanic School. She was the only woman in her class. She battled sexism all the way through, but that’s another story. She’s currently a mechanic at Ride On Auto in Reynoldstown.

Our series is produced by Jennifer Ament.  Funding for our American Graduate dropout prevention coverage is supported by grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Rita Allen Foundation, and the National Black Programming Consortium.