Perimeter College

William’s Background: William Milhouse had his heart and mind set on attending Georgia State University’s Atlanta Campus after graduating from high school in 2019. “I took the Atlanta Campus tour, and I fell in love — like, this is where I need to be,” Milhouse recalled.

His Path: Milhouse was accepted into Georgia State, but not at the Atlanta Campus. His acceptance admitted him to one of Georgia State’s five Perimeter College locations, partly based on his SAT score. “I was like, ‘are you kidding me?’,” Milhouse said. “I was bummed.” His feelings quickly changed. He enrolled at Perimeter College in fall of 2019 to study film on Georgia State’s Alpharetta Campus. He joined the Student Government Association, takes advantage of Learning and Tutoring Center services and has a work-study position in the Office of Student Life. He said he couldn’t be happier.

The Latest: Launching his college studies at Perimeter was a good move for him, Milhouse said.

“It didn’t start ideally, but everything worked out for the best, and I would not change a thing.”

Milhouse said he finished the spring 2020 semester on the Dean’s List and eligible to receive the HOPE scholarship. Plus, his older brother is following through with a reward to treat him to a Hawaiian vacation (when the pandemic will allow) in exchange for good grades. After getting his associate degree at Perimeter, Milhouse plans to transfer to Georgia State’s Atlanta Campus and eventually apply to law school to become an entertainment attorney.

Jackie’s Background: At 6 feet 2 inches tall, Jackie Goodman-Cook enrolled at Perimeter College on a basketball scholarship in 1981, when the school was DeKalb Community College. She selected business administration as her pathway — although she really wanted to study education. “It broke my heart, but that’s what my daddy said, so that’s what I felt I had to do,” Goodman-Cook, who is now 57, recalled.

Her Path: During her second year at Perimeter, Goodman-Cook learned she was pregnant, dropped out of school and started working at a local business. In 2004, as a widow and mother of four children, Goodman-Cook became an office clerk at a public charter middle school in West Atlanta, staying there for nearly 14 years and becoming a part-time education assistant in charge of the school chorus. She still yearned to earn her degree, however. In 2014, she enrolled at Perimeter again, this time to study education. But she couldn’t afford to continue.

The Latest: In 2017, Goodman-Cook started at Perimeter for the third time. In 2019, she completed what she started nearly 40 years earlier, graduating with an associate degree, which supports her in her role as family engagement coordinator at the R.I.S.E Schools, public charter schools in Fulton County. Being able to take in-person and online classes at Perimeter helped her toward her goal, she said. She now is pursuing her bachelor’s degree at Georgia State’s Atlanta Campus and wants to become a school behavior specialist.

“Be so dedicated to your dream that it’s part of your DNA,” Goodman-Cook said.