Escondido resident gets top marks on GED
By Sherry Parmet
STAFF WRITER
June 23, 2004
Paying tribute to the best dog groomer and the top fast-food worker were annual highlights of the La Puente adult school graduation and awards ceremony.
Besides the usual accolades, another honor was added to this year's top performances: top scorer on the GED high school-equivalency test.
Zachary Olkewicz, 20, a high school dropout from Escondido, shocked teachers at the Los Angeles County adult school when he beat out all his peers on the exam and was declared the only test-taker in California to earn a perfect score in a decade.
He was among six people out of 650,000 nationwide to receive top marks, prompting an official from the California Department of Education to fly from Sacramento for the ceremony.
"Before that moment, I didn't realize how well he had done," said his father, Walter Olkewicz. "I thought maybe one out of every 25 test-takers earned a perfect score. Now, I'm just flabbergasted."
Olkewicz dropped out of high school so he could help his father through knee surgery and rehabilitation. He is attending Palomar College's Escondido campus with hopes of transferring to a four-year university and landing a job in the computer game industry. Over a decade, 569,000 Californians have taken the GED to earn a certificate equivalent to a high school diploma, according to the California Department of Education.
The General Educational Development Test measures knowledge in five areas: reading, writing, science, social studies and mathematics. Math covers algebra, geometry and physics probability, while science measures knowledge of physics, chemistry, biology and earth and space.
The test takes more than seven hours and includes multiple choice questions and an essay section.
To receive a passing score means an individual has scored higher than two out of five graduating seniors who received traditional diplomas, said Lyn Schaefer, director of test development for the Washington, D.C.-based GED Testing Service.
"To even pass it is quite an accomplishment," she said. "To get a perfect score means that had Zachary gone the traditional route he would have been in the top 1 percentile of his class."
Olkewicz said all the attention has been "surreal." His mother, who lives in Escondido, hopes this will prompt more dropouts to take the exam.
"I know a lot of people are hesitant," said his mother, Julie Ewing-Nikkel. "But Zachary did this by studying and preparing, so I think that a lot of people who think they can't do it really can."
Olkewicz's early high school performance belied his aptitude.
During his freshman and sophomore years, Olkewicz attended Escondido High School, where he struggled and failed multiple courses. In the middle of his junior year, he moved to Burbank with his father, an actor who has appeared on such television shows as "Twin Peaks," "Seinfeld" and "Taxi."
Olkewicz transferred to Burbank High School. He focused more and was rewarded with A's and B's.
Because of his earlier poor showing, Olkewicz made up failed courses in the evenings. Simultaneously, his father's bad knee was worsening with infection, and Olkewicz attended school and shouldered extra responsibilities that included cooking, cleaning and shopping.
By the end of Olkewicz's senior year, his father was about to undergo his seventh knee surgery. And Olkewicz learned he would be unable to graduate alongside his classmates, because he needed to attend summer school and an additional semester to earn enough credits to graduate.
Rather than remain in school, he took the GED so he could spend the next year helping his dad.
He's always been close to his father. During the first 14 years of Olkewicz's life, his father had a license plate that read, "ZAKS DAD"
"I was just really in a bad way," said Walter Olkewicz. "He was here every minute. He did everything. He brought things to the hospital, took care of the house. And he was there daily to see me."
During his free time, Olkewicz buried himself studying for the GED, devoting two months to prepare for the exam.
Walter Olkewicz would knock on his son's door occasionally, wondering if he wanted to take a break, maybe watch a movie. But the younger Olkewicz always said no, needing to study.
When Olkewicz earned an 88 percent on a practice test, his father suggested he was ready for the real one. But Olkewicz wanted to do better.
He studied more.
"Because I dropped out of school I pretty much knew I had to show I could do well on the test because the GED was going to be my high school diploma," Olkewicz said.
When his scores arrived in the mail, Olkewicz didn't comprehend the significance. Until last week.
Olkewicz was the highlight of the ceremony at the Hacienda La Puente Adult Education Willow Center. When he was introduced, everyone stood, and he was treated to a three-minute applause.