MANCHESTER — Ashly Wyman was flunking courses and was on the verge of dropping out of high school.

Her friend, Emily Bartlett, skipped classes all the time and was about to join her.

Wednesday night, the two friends were beaming in their royal blue caps and gowns as they joined other freshly minted graduates of Manchester Adult High School.

“This means we did it! — for everybody who thought we weren't going to do it,” Wyman, 18, said of the high school diploma that almost eluded her.

She is the first person in her family to graduate high school.

“We made it,” Bartlett, also 18, added.

Bartlett and Wyman agreed they wouldn't have been there without the adult learning program geared to students who tend not to thrive in traditional classrooms using teachers who treat you “like family.”

The Manchester teens were among 54 students granted diplomas at commencement ceremonies in which state and local leaders saluted them for their courage and determination to overcome life's hurdles.

“This is probably one of the most special programs of the year,” Manchester School of Technology Principal Karen White told the crowd, which packed the Memorial High School auditorium.

“I know many of (the graduates') triumphs as well as their struggles. They are all extremely deserving of their place on this stage tonight,” said White, who also directs the adult education program.

Some students took a little longer to earn their diplomas, she said. Others dropped out of school and returned years later to finish.

They included Thomas J. Gilbert, 27, who left Memorial High School when he was 18, and just a few courses shy of a diploma.

“I had a couple of things come up and I ended up dropping out,” Gilbert explained. After spending years in low-paying construction and restaurant jobs, Gilbert wanted something better.

His dream is to become a lineman for Public Service Company of New Hampshire, National Grid or another large utility.

“All these big companies, you need a high school diploma,” Gilbert explained.

That's how he found himself back in school, finishing up the few courses that barred him from a productive career.

Mayor Ted Gatsas told the graduates, “It was an honor to sign” each of their diplomas, “because I know how hard you worked to achieve it.”

“It wasn't easy,” the mayor added. “Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. You've taken that first step in creating yourself.”

Gov. John Lynch told the group, “You inspire all of us.”

“You've overcome odds. You haven't given up on yourselves and you've succeeded,” the governor said.

Guest speaker Kathleen Luebkert, who graduated in 2005, said she had nearly given up on school when she enrolled in the Manchester Adult Learning Center.

“This place is not like high school. It's like the judgment-free zone of the education world,” she said.

Luebkert, who works at a credit union, said she now plans to enroll in a college nursing program.

She urged graduates to “take some chances on yourself.”

The Class of 2012 are: Jose Alfredo Aloyo, Gabrielle Ruth Baker, Emily Sue Bartlett, Melissa A. Berry, Dillon Boisvert, Joshua Dean Bolduc, Amber Rose Castelhano, Desiree Leandra Chase, Gregory Keith Coutu, Elizabeth Mary Craioveano, Emma Kate, Craioveano, Joshua Daniel Cruz, Paul Adam Cutting, Leannish Michelle Diaz, John Robert Dubois, Kassaundra Leigh Dudah, Shane Robert Dziura, Ashlee Nicole Gerade, Thomas James Gilbert, Kristyn Leigh Green-Morel, Melissa Hapgood, Russell A. Harding II, Ashley Heon, Parker Michael Hoffacker, David J. Hrubiec, Katelyn Marie (Reynolds) Hrubiec, Joseph David Johns, Jennifer King, Daelynne Taylor Kirlis, John R. Kotsopoulos, Nicholas B. Labbe, Brandon A. Labrie, Brooke Susan LaPlante, Tayla Bleu Lawver, Kenyon TyRay Lee, Brianna Chelsea Long, Benjamin Francis Magdziarz, Joshua Andrew Mahar, Rachel Jo Mayor, Mark Anthony McCormack, April Rose Merchant, Brianna Lindsay Morin, Katelynn Marie Nault, Luis E. Olguin, Zachary-Tyler Leonard Rock, Spencer Michael Sanzo, Ashley Marie Serafin, Maria C. Soto, Jason Lloyd Sperry, Thomas B. Tuthill, Harry D. Walker Jr., Jonah Benjamin Warford, Shaun Michael Wright, Ashly Taylor Wyman.

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Kathryn Marchocki may be reached at kmarchocki@unionleader.com.