Seven years, 1,300 hours and one goal: Mahalia Sullivan refused to quit

For seven years and more than 1,300 hours, Mahalia Sullivan kept showing up.

Some days, what she studied stayed with her. Other days, it didn’t. But Sullivan, Idaho’s Adult Education Student of the Year, had decided there was one thing she would not do: quit.

Sullivan suffered a traumatic brain injury as an infant that affected her memory and made learning difficult. She described trying to retain information as one of the greatest challenges she faced in school.

“My mother would say my brain was like a basket filled with holes,” said Sullivan. “No matter how hard I tried to study, I kept forgetting.”

In April 2019, Sullivan enrolled at the Adult Learning Center in Moscow and began working toward her GED. She would study with the program for seven years before passing her final exam in April 2026.

Her instructors saw both her frustration and her determination.

David Gage, one of Sullivan’s tutors, recalled her worrying before tests that she had learned the material but couldn’t make it “stick” in her brain. His response was always the same: They would keep trying.

That persistence became part of Sullivan’s routine. According to her Student of the Year nomination, she logged more than 1,300 hours with the program in addition to studying independently. She sometimes cared for her siblings but resisted missing class, even postponing other activities so she could attend. Because she lived a significant distance from the Adult Learning Center, she often studied through Zoom and was consistently on time.

Even when the Moscow center closed because of funding cuts, Sullivan continued studying.

Her grandparents helped make that possible. Because Sullivan couldn’t drive, they took her to appointments and testing sessions. Her mother, father, stepparents and siblings also encouraged her throughout the process.

“They were supportive by encouraging me to keep going,” said Sullivan.

Tutors Beth Matuska and Gage helped her work through subjects she found especially difficult, including math and social studies. Failure remained frightening. But over time, Sullivan’s response to struggling began to change.

“The old me would have quit right away,” said Sullivan. “I refused to allow myself to quit again.”

Social studies was her final hurdle. Sullivan had failed the section twice. Before taking it again, she studied extra, repeatedly reviewing handwritten notes to help retain the material. In April 2026, she passed.

“I was so happy I felt like I was about to cry,” said Sullivan.

The following month, Sullivan attended graduation with her grandparents.

Her Christian faith was also central to her persistence. Sullivan said she prayed when she became discouraged and before taking her exams.

“Jesus was what kept me going,” said Sullivan.

Now 27, Sullivan hopes to become a missionary eventually, although she said she still has more to learn and wants to help her grandparents before pursuing that goal.

She was surprised when her grandmother walked into her room and showed her the email announcing that she had been selected as Idaho’s Adult Education Student of the Year.

“I did not think that having an award would actually happen to me,” said Sullivan.

For Sullivan, the lesson of seven years of studying, setbacks and trying again is simple.

“The key is to stick it to the end, even though it is very hard,” said Sullivan. “Keep going, and don’t give up.”