profiles

Nina Ybarra is an instructor in the Pharmacy Technician 1 program at Vista Adult School. Pharmacy Technician 1 is a hands-on program developed to train students to work in a Retail Pharmacy. The program is 12 weeks long and covers a variety of topics including the history of pharmacy, medical terminology, dosage forms and administration, medication errors and financial management.

Students are prepared to work in a retail pharmacy environment such as CVS, Target or Walmart. Students can also participate in a formal externship in order to apply their skills in the real world.

Besides teaching, Nina also enjoys volunteering in the community in her free time.

Jennyfer Rincon enrolled at Ramona Adult School prior to 2020 but, “I always gave up”. She had struggled in high school but always dreamed of graduating. In the fall of 2021 she decided it was time to go back because she felt she needed her high school diploma to advance in her life and career.

When Jennyfer re-enrolled at Ramona Adult School, the staff was happy to see her return. For Jennyfer, her greatest challenge was balancing classes and work with taking care of her son. Her parents were very supportive and pitched in to help her with child care.

Jennyfer’s sisters, Vanessa Rincon and Marisol Villavicencio Rincon also decided to support her – by enrolling in the high school diploma program as well. Mentored by RAS registrar, Kathy Funk, all three Rincon sisters worked hard throughout the 2021-2022 school year to complete courses. It wasn’t easy for them to balance work, family and school but the sisters pushed each other to stay on track and kept each other motivated. Mrs. Funk provided support and encouragement as well, helping them manage their courses as they worked towards graduation.

All three Rincon sisters achieved their dream of graduating – together – in June 2022.

Jennyfer said, “Graduation meant everything, being able to close that chapter in life was definitely a huge accomplishment.” For the entire Rincon family, it was a huge celebration.

Jennyfer is currently staying at home with her son but looks forward to returning to school to pursue a career in the medical field. Marisol is exploring her career options, and Vanessa received her medical assistant diploma this year through UEI!

For the past five years, Marina has been a teacher for the San Marcos adult program.

“I’ve really enjoyed working for the program since day one. I enjoy being able to help the students achieve a long-lost goals. For some of the students, this goal was put aside when the challenges of life became greater than the opportunity to finish the high school diploma. Some of the students are leading a busy life, and yet they still manage to stop by and work on assignments to meet the requirements of a high school diploma.”

“Even during the most challenging time in the past two years when we saw so many students being directly impacted by the pandemic we all suffered. Many of our students losing loved ones, and some having being hospitalized due to the virus attacking their bodies directly. It was a devastating time for all, but I was able to witness the resiliency in our students. Our students focused on working from home to complete assignments, they learned how to maneuver technology that for some was very new and others expanded their knowledge.”

“I was able to see the students blossom, and that is what makes this job worthwhile. I enjoy meeting them as a student – and as a friend as our relationship grows. I enjoy listening to their success stories of getting promoted, finding a new job, getting married, having new babies, and even moving into their dream homes. These are some of the reasons why adult school, San Marcos Adult school is dear to me.”

Samuel Garcia was dedicated and motivated to work towards obtaining his high school diploma to help him expand his educational goals. After finding out that he was so close to graduating, he committed himself, and rain or shine he met his appointments and challenged himself to do better.

He enjoys learning and has decided to pursue a college education after high school. He knows that his journey will be long, but is determined to follow through. After attending the Path to Palomar, he felt inspired to continue and sees no reason to stop.

He is a father, husband, and a full-time employee who was recently promoted and taken on more responsibilities. Nevertheless, getting his high school diploma always remained a priority.

Judy Moreno is an instructor for the Poway Adult School Court Reporting program. She became a licensed court reporter in 1991 and retired from San Diego Superior Court in 2018 after spending 20 plus years working in the courtrooms as an official and also working as a deposition reporter before transferring to court. Judy’s enthusiasm for court reporting led her to Poway Adult School with the desire to pass on her passion for this career to a new generation of court reporters and share this amazing career path with others.

The court reporting program at Poway started in September 2020. Over 30 students are currently enrolled in the steno program and will now be able to take advantage of voice writing as a new methodology of taking down the verbatim record.

In her own words, “It has been an honor to pass on my personal experiences as a working court reporting to the students, and I look forward to having many students become licensed court reporters this year.”

Rin came to the U.S. from Japan determined to learn English and get a job. She started school right away, even continuing after her daughter was born. From the lowest level of ESL to the highest, Rin showed she was committed to reaching her goals. She sought after every opportunity to practice her English, explore U.S. culture, and grow. She was able to get a job because of her English fluency and skills she gained from attending the Poway Adult School. Rin recently said her job has given her exposure to “business English.”

In class, Rin helped foster a welcoming culture, creating a positive social-emotional environment for other students. She worked to help raise money for the students’ Adult School Foundation. Even after she completed her level of English, Rin showed up to the Adult School Cultural Fair this last fall to stay connected to the school and show support for the other students. She often appears at extra-curricular activities such as one where the teacher meets with students for coffee. And she is taking more computer classes.

When Rin first became a Poway Adult School student, she presented as a woman who was stuck and looking for a way out of a bad situation. She was clear she wanted to improve her life for herself and her daughter.

A phrase that has kept her going all of these years is one she saw on the wall at her first adult school: “You never know what you can do until you try!” Rin says, “Now, I understand it, and when I hesitate to try new things or consider too much, I try to say it to myself. It still encourages me a lot.”

Today, Rin has utilized the certificates and skills she has earned at the Poway Adult School in her career and life. Her outlook is positive. She laughs and talks about her friends. She is preparing for a better job and hopes to someday own her own bakery. We believe she will achieve whatever she sets her mind to do.

Rin is one of our Poway Adult School stars, as we know each student is on their own path, and we celebrate Rin’s achievements.

Carlota Duong may be a recent high school equivalency graduate at Escondido Adult School but is no stranger to all the programs the school has to offer. Carlota began attending ESL classes in 2017 at EAS. She moved on to complete a Basics of Nursing and CPR course the following year while enrolling in the academic program to pursue her main goal – passing the five HISET exams to earn her State-sanctioned certificate in English.

For Carlota, a native Spanish speaker, taking the tests in her second language was her biggest challenge during her years at EAS and she refused to attempt any of the tests in Spanish, even after a multitude of frustrations and setbacks. Encouragement and tutoring from her teachers and peers kept her motivated to return each year. She plugged along, passing one test after the next with careful preparation and strategizing. After nearly four years of hard work and many new relationships with fellow classmates on a similar journey, Carlota finally passed that last exam in July.

While elated, she is not one to stop there. Ms. Duong will continue fine-tuning her writing skills in the advanced ESL class this fall with the goal of moving on to Palomar College. We at EAS are eager to see which opportunity Carlota seizes next.