LEBANON, Tennessee (CNN) -- A tumultuous home life forced country music star Gretchen Wilson to grow up quickly.
Bernadine Nelson, left, and Gretchen Wilson want to raise awareness about the importance of adult education.
"I was one of those kids that was brought up in kind of a crazy environment in the home, and I just thought I'd be better off if I could get out there and start doing it my way," said Wilson, 35.
So at 15, she quit school and became a bartender in her Illinois hometown.
From that point on, Wilson focused her attention solely on surviving and making music. In 1996, she moved to Nashville to pursue her dream of being a country music singer. Despite setbacks along the way, she found success in 2004 with the release of her first single, "Redneck Woman."
"I had big dreams like most local musicians do, but the chances of this having happened for me were slim to none," said the Grammy Award winner. "Without [an] education, I'd have been pouring drinks for the rest of my life."
Until earlier this year, Wilson was one of the millions of Americans who haven't finished their high school education. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 43 million people have dropped out of high school, and one in five Americans are functionally illiterate.
Though she was a successful musician, Wilson said she became more determined than ever to finish her education. So, at age 34, she decided to get her GED -- and it was educator Bernadine Nelson who helped her.
"I didn't have to go back and get my GED, but it was something I really needed to complete me as a person," Wilson said.
Wilson reached out to the local adult education center in Lebanon, Tennessee, where she met Nelson, the center's director.
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