Graduate of 2017
I was 49 when I joined HEP in July 2016. What prompted me to enter was knowing that this program gives people the opportunity to continue their academic studies regardless of age. I wanted to continue to improve myself because in my country I could not do it and that is why I wanted the High School Equivalency Certificate. I felt that with that certificate I could get out of working in the fields. During that time, I had already been working in the vineyards for a year; tying and suckering the grapevines.
As a farmworker, HEP helped me prepare for the exams I needed so that I could graduate and earn my certificate. It took a lot of effort and dedication because I had to wake up early to work, suffering the inclement weather, cold, heat, rain, and then get to school to study. However, I managed to graduate! At the same time I was studying for the equivalency certificate, I was also taking English classes. I graduated from the English as a Second Language program that same year and subsequently took the advanced English class, ESL10. This was also a great achievement for me, because English has been a barrier to moving forward for me.
When I arrived to this country, it was very difficult for me to communicate with Americans. Now I feel capable and confident in being able to talk to anyone and move in my personal life and in my education! I also know that I can have a job where it requires me to speak English. The certificate has given me the satisfaction of having achieved that goal; I know it will help me get a job different from working in the grape fields. I would like to work in an office where I can function using computers and communicating with people.
I am currently taking computer classes through the Adult Education Program. It is very important for me to know about technology because that way I can get a job outside the grape fields. I am also taking an autobiographical writing class because I would like to write my own story and share my experiences with others, as my life has been full of challenges and difficulties; experiences that many people may be able to identify with. This is the great goal in my life!
I feel proud to have obtained my high school equivalency certificate because I am alone in this country and I have been fighting alone to get ahead. With all the challenges I faced I have been able to achieve what in my country I could not; to study and feel satisfied to have achieved a goal. Through HEP I got a scholarship with the Literacy Works program, which was a great help for me as well. I am very grateful to all the HEP staff because I would not have been able to achieve this on my own.