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How One Student’s Determination Helped Her Focus on Her Future: Irene’s Story
For many people, life circumstances that are out of our control can stand in the way of important priorities, including education. This year, one Vista Adult School student made the realization that she had been putting her own academic dreams on the back burner for far too long and decided to take action.
When Irene G. had to drop out from high school at age 15 to raise her younger siblings, her dream of ever obtaining a high school diploma suddenly began to fade. She knew that a diploma would hold the key to a promising career and a brighter future, but her family always came first.
However, once her responsibilities to her siblings ended, she turned to Vista Adult School to pursue her dream of obtaining her high school diploma once again.
Today, she is not only passing all of her program requirements but excelling in her high school diploma classes and will be graduating soon.
“Irene is a wonderful student who always tries her very best,” says Kathy Escandon, Irene’s teacher at Vista Adult School. “She has academically excelled even during the pandemic.”
Just as life seems to always have a way of changing course, after signing up for classes four different times, circumstances caused Irene to drop out each time. Her determination led her back to Vista Adult School prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdown of in-classroom learning, and she once again made the commitment to put her education at the forefront. With a new laser focus on earning her diploma, Irene has excelled in her coursework and is making steady progress in her night classes, even with the new online learning format.
Although the virtual classroom has been a big adjustment for Irene she has adapted to this new way of learning and is thriving even more than she did when she was in the classroom – more determined to earn her diploma now than ever before.
“The teachers and counselors at Vista Adult School were there to help me every step of the way,” says Irene. “They are amazing!”
On track to graduate with her diploma in May, Irene can’t wait for what her future has in store. She will be enrolling in business classes at Vista Adult School and looks forward to the time when she is able to see her teachers and classmates in–person again.