SMITHFIELD - When Eaton Corp. closed its Selma plant more than two years ago, it seemed like the end of the line for a group of workers who had come to call each other family.

But last week they found themselves parting ways under sunnier circumstances -- nearly 20 of the laid-off employees graduated together from Johnston Community College, capping two years of training and education in medical and legal work, accounting, office management and more.

Many of the future graduates were surprised when they first learned that the manufacturing plant would move to Mexico. Some had worked there for decades, but their jobs unraveled with a single announcement one morning.

"A lot of us was frightened," said Delzora Atkinson.

But the closing came soon before registration deadlines at JCC, so the former coworkers made their decisions quickly.

"We needed the training," said Eleanor Peedin. "We'd been in manufacturing for so long."

Pam McBryde, a business administration major, saw her misfortune as an open door.

"I was kind of glad," said McBryde, who dropped out of college when she became pregnant with her daughter more than 20 years ago. "It give me an opportunity."

She will soon start work as a floor supervisor at Izod, she said.

Bonnie Adams' time in school brought her full circle. Adams, now 59, attended Johnston County Technical Insitute, now JCC, when it first opened in 1969.

"Forty years later, here I am again," she said.

But the Eaton graduates' stories aren't fairy tales. Many scraped by on unemployment checks, work-study jobs, scholarships and part-time work as they completed their degrees.

Adams' unemployment pay ended a month ago, and like many of her fellow graduates, she isn't sure where she'll put her new education to work. "We're in need of funds -- no, of jobs," Adams said.

Yet enthusiasm runs high for the students, whose ages span many decades.

Tammy Womac, a single mother of two, hopes to work in a medical office after she finishes a few extra classes.

"I'm going for the good stuff," she said as she stood among friends, a Phi Theta Kappa stole draped over her gown. "We rode it out together."