By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

GARYVILLE – It’s never too late to achieve one’s goals, and Elouise Duhé is living proof.

One might wonder what the 67-year-old LaPlace resident, who is a mother of six, grandmother of 14 and great-grandmother of seven, still has left to prove. The short answer is “nothing.”

Nonetheless, Duhé currently is working toward her GED at the St. John Parish Adult Education Center in Garyville. Duhé has attended class four days a week at the former Garyville Elementary School since classes began in the fall, but unlike many of the students there, her goal is one of self-fulfillment. “I paid my dues to society,” said the feisty sexagenarian.

“Earning my GED is something I’ve always wanted to do, something I needed to do, and something I haven’t yet accomplished,” said Duhé. “When you get to my age, you start to think about the things you shoulda and coulda done.”

Duhé had to quit school in the ninth grade to go to work. “I couldn’t do full-time work and school,” she said.

Despite a decades-long absence from the academic scene, Duhé has had little trouble getting back into the swing of things.

“A lot of things were new, but they weren’t hard,” she said. “My weakest subject is math, and I’m getting there.”

Duhé also faced some unexpected challenges in trying to attain her GED. She said she did not even know how to turn on a computer when she started. Now, while she admits she is far from a computer whiz, she can do everything on the machine she needs to.

In fact, computers have made a positive impact on her schooling this time around. According to Duhé, the computer is helping her learn by identifying her areas of weakness and instructing her on how to improve.

Duhé said she will take the test to earn her diploma in February. “But if I don’t pass, I’m going to try again,” she added.

Getting that diploma, however, is not her sole purpose in attending the GED classes. She also enjoys serving as a positive role model for the other students in the class.

Judy Fiffie, Duhé’s instructor, said, “She’s had a nurturing effect on the other students. She’s given them mature advice and encouraged them to continually work every day to achieve their goals.”

Duhé’s message to other’s considering going for their GED is clear: “You can do anything you to do, but you have to at least try.”

And with Duhé serving as an example, there should be no excuses.