BY RACHEL DOVE
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — Success stories don’t always begin with the best-laid plans, nor do they only happen to the Valedictorian of a high school graduating class. They’re not limited to perfect people with perfect families with a fool-proof plan. Instead, they happen to those who want it the most, to the individual who has a burning desire to keep reaching for the stars. For one Martin County female, her plan to succeed birthed from a desire to provide a better life for her children and the opportunity to “grow where they’re planted.”

This is the success story of Kelli Jo Kirk, an ordinary lady doing extraordinary things.

Kirk is a lifelong resident of Martin County and the daughter of Joe and Kathy Kirk (stepfather Jeff). She is the sister of Jonathan, Chase and the late Sammy Jo Kirk. She attended Sheldon Clark High School but failed to graduate after suffering debilitating panic attacks and social anxiety, no longer able to cope with being in a crowd.

As the years passed, she gave birth to three children, Jett and Ravin and Cage. Kirk was happy and loved spending time with her family but always felt like she had left many things undone and that something in her life was missing.

After being out of school for 10 years, Kirk heard of a new GED program sponsored by the Martin County Library and Big Sandy Community and Technical College and opted to enroll.

“They made the process so easy for me to get accepted into the program and worked with me every step of the way,” said Kirk. “I’m not going to lie. After being out of school for 10 years, I really had to apply myself. And if it had not been for the encouragement of Donny Osborne with the library board, I’m not sure if I would have hung in there.”