Adult education is changing lives throughout the Riverside region. Below we feature people just like you who focused forward to create a better future for themselves by enrolling in adult education programs.
Isabel Hernandez
Jurupa Adult School
Mexicali-born Ms. Hernandez, who migrated to the United States in 1965 at age 18, has modeled persistence.? As a young woman, she made carpets in a factory for 65 cents an hour, then packed vegetables for a living and eventually joined the shipping center at her husband?s company.
After her retirement, the mother of four began attending classes at Jurupa Adult School, earning her diploma at age 71.
?It was her dream to get her high school diploma. All of her sisters and brothers have a diploma. She was the only one in her family without a diploma. She completed her diploma in six months. She was determined: She would study every night until 3 o?clock in the morning!
She is now continuing her education at Riverside City College.
Jevon Hicks
Riverside Adult School
My life started off pretty rough. My mother tried her best to keep me out of trouble but being influenced by some of the bad people in my neighborhood, I probably would have ended up in jail like my father was most of my life. But having a strong family and a mother who wouldn?t give up on me, we moved from Van Nuys California to Riverside California, which changed my life.
I went to continuation school, where I met my high school sweetheart, who is now my wife. We chose to drop out of school together, and we moved to Lake Charles, Louisiana and started our family. By age 21, I had a full-time job and was taking care of my wife and two sons.
In 2005, the city of Lake Charles had a hurricane by the name of Rita that forced us to relocate up north. After being north for three weeks, we decided to come back home and found our place in ruins. At that point, it was time to go back home to California.
Once back in California, I worked very strenuous, hard-labor jobs that were going nowhere, and did a lot of damage to my body. The year 2018 was a pivotal one for my family and I. I had to stop working to have surgery on my lower back. While recovering, I finally figured out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and that choice was to do hair.
I heard the Riverside Community College Cosmetology Program was the best in California, and I knew I had to go there. But with no GED or high school diploma, I could not attend the program. So I made it my duty to get my GED. I got a GED book from Amazon, but it didn’t help me enough to take the test on my own. So I chose to attend Riverside Adult School, where they have a great staff that helped me answer all the questions. I struggled with and built confidence in myself to take the test, and I passed it the first time I took it.
While at Riverside Adult School, I met Kristopher Acevedo, who was the educational advisor of adult school for Riverside City College. He helped me every step of the way, with financial aid, the application process and enrolling in classes. He helped steer me toward success.
It’s been a year since starting at RCC and getting my GED, and I owe alot to Riverside Adult School and their great staff and to Kristopher Acevedo, who still checks in on me to this day. When I was young, I never thought I would ever go back to school, but as you grow, things change. I’m grateful for the people who helped me get here, including my wife, my two sons and the staff at Riverside Adult School.
As I write this, three days from now I will turn 39 years old, and am one month away from getting my license in Cosmetology. Believe me when I say you’re never too old to start a new life.
Eliseo Torres
Alvord Adult School
My challenge was going back to school after so many years of being out of school, but after coming out of prison, I found confidence in myself to make a better future, and it all started by going back to school.
The staff at my school were able to help me find my credits, while I started to study for my GED at Alvord Adult School. Once my transcripts were found, I had the option of being able to get my high school diploma. Alvord Adult School encouraged me to move forward and pursue my education; they motivated me and made me feel that anything was possible, along with my faith in God.
I was one step away from making it happen as I was able to graduate in three months with my high school diploma from Alvord Adult School. My educational advisor from Riverside City College asked me if I wanted to continue my education, and I said yes!