At Last: A High School Grad!
Adult school helps student finally finish high school BY ANNE STOKES
F
or a long time, Flerida Flores thought she’d never walk across a stage and celebrate graduating high school. After dropping out in her junior year to care for family, it was something she always wanted to finish, but life just seemed to get in the way. For 12 years, she worked as a certified nurse assistant, a physical job with a demanding schedule that was difficult to balance with the needs of her young family.
“You need those kinds of teachers, you need that kind of support if you really want to do it.” Flerida Flores Rowland Adult and Community Education graduate
“I’m helping my son with school during the pandemic and I thought, ‘How could I not finish high school?’” she says. “I had to do it.” Flores found what she needed at Rowland Adult and Community Education. Through their programs, she was able to pass the HiSET exam and earn her high school equivalency credential. While it wasn’t easy, Flores says support from teachers and staff made all the difference. “I told them, ‘Maybe to you, I was just another student,
IT PAYS TO KNOW According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, getting an education pays off: Not only do higher levels of education usually result in higher earnings, they also correlate to lower rates of unemployment.
Master’s degree Median usual weekly earnings:
$1,497
Unemployment rate:
2%
Bachelor’s degree Median usual weekly earnings:
$1,248
While helping her son study, Flerida Flores was inspired to earn her own credential. PHOTO COURTESY OF FLERIDA FLORES
Unemployment rate:
2.2%
Associate’s degree Median usual weekly earnings:
but to me, it was everything.’ You need those kinds of teachers, you need that kind of support if you really want to do it,” Flores says. “I was sometimes not sure of myself, if I could finish the subjects and the test, but (my teacher Norm Chavez) kept me positive and kept me going.” At Rowland, all courses are free and students at any level can enroll in their Adult Secondary Education (ASE) or English as a Second language (ESL) classes. Like Flores, many students return to start a new career or advance in the one they’re already working in. “We take students wherever they are,” says Janet Duker, outreach specialist with Rowland. “Many, many jobs want proof of some sort of high school education. … If you don’t even have a diploma from high school, it’s much more difficult to get anything more than a minimum (wage).” Today, Flores is looking into continuing her education in order to start a new career in medical billing or coding, an office position with a more stable schedule. For Flores, going back to school has been a positive experience for her whole family. Not only did her husband change careers, transitioning from a chef to a drug counselor, but her children have also been inspired to dream big. “My 6-year-old, he was trying to help me with my math, he was motivating me, he was so excited that I finished,” she says. “He says he wants to go to college, too —like his mom.” For more information on the programs available at Rowland Adult and Community Education, visit race.rowlandschools.org or call 626-965-5975.
$887
Unemployment rate:
2.7%
Some college (no degree) Median usual weekly earnings:
$883
Unemployment rate:
3.3%
High school diploma Median usual weekly earnings:
$746
Unemployment rate:
3.7%
Less than a high school diploma Median usual weekly earnings:
$592
Unemployment rate:
5.4%
Mt. SAC Regional Consortium for Adult Education www.mtsac-rc.org 11
