Submitted by rashton on Fri, 05/21/2010 - 4:24pm
Continuing Education Celebrates Commencement
for 1,100 Adult Students
SAN DIEGO– San Diego Continuing Education will honor more than 1,100 graduates during Commencement at Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park on Wednesday, June 2 at 5 p.m. The ceremony is a collaboration with the San Diego Unified School District Adult High School Diploma Program. The graduates are a collective group: many have, at some point, fallen through the cracks of the traditional education system and chose to re-enter classrooms and complete either their High School Diploma, or a GED; some have completed specific job training skills as part of a certificate program and are eager to enter the workforce; and others have mastered English as their second language.
"El conocimiento abre puertas y derriva fronteras,” is a Spanish expression that means "knowledge opens doors and flattens boundaries,” said Dr. Anthony E. Beebe, President of Continuing Education. “Commencement is the ultimate example of how we can change lives by helping people achieve their educational goals.”
Awards include 227 GEDs, 600 High School Diplomas, and 340 certificates of completion for career technical education programs. Students with additional educational goals will benefit from 68 scholarship awards totaling more than $19,000. Approximately 450 graduates are expected to participate in the ceremony.
The representative student speaker for the ceremony is age 37 and left middle school without being able to read or write. She lived homeless on the streets for a while; found some solace in a church; then worked as a missionary in Tijuana before meeting up with a group who helped her get back to education.
At age 35, she stumbled upon the Continuing Education West City Campus and started adult basic education classes in pursuit of her GED. She spent significant time with Lola Gaona, Continuing Education counselor, to understand her options (including Disability Support Programs and Services) and after two years she has met her goal of being able to read and write. She will graduate in June and is planning to attend Mesa College.
She is proud to represent her class as commencement speaker for 2010. “I have my Ph.D. from the street, and now my GED from CE,” she says.
Student Success Stories
Priscilla Angulo’s education was interrupted when she became pregnant at age 15. While working two jobs, she completed her high school diploma and plans to attend community college.
Due to the impact of the poor economy, at age 42, Eric Hill needed a new set of skills, which he found at Continuing Education in the short term job training program for Automotive Technician. Hill’s first career lasted 16 years as a computer technician and included employment at Gateway, and as an independent consultant. His new automotive skills helped him land a job at Bob Baker Toyota of Lemon Grove.
Hill says he learned three years’ worth of knowledge and skills in just six months, including having hands-on experience from older vehicles, to newer electric models. He credits the professionalism and individualized instruction from Continuing Education instructors for his new-found confidence and success.
The Soroptimist International of La Jolla awarded a $2,000 scholarship to Continuing Education student Ngoc T (Tina) Pham. The scholarship is their Women’s Opportunity Award, and given to a woman who is the head of her household, and who is committed to furthering career goals.
Pham immigrated to the US from Vietnam 18 years ago. After surviving an abusive marriage, she is now divorced and raising six children, ages 3 to 13 years. She will complete the Continuing Education Office Skills Certificate program this summer, and transfer to Mesa College in the fall with plans to secure an AA Degree in Management.
Monique Bernard, age 34, enrolled in computer classes at Continuing Education in 2007 and completed the Front Desk/Office Assistant Certificate, followed by the Administrative Assistant Certificate. As a student with a disability, she overcame challenges by working with Disability Support Programs & Services (DSPS) and by articulating her learning needs to her instructors.
Bernard completed additional BIT courses to enhance her learning. Her new confidence includes working for DSPS part-time as a student office assistant, where she is able to apply what she has learned in class to the world of work. Bernard will remain enrolled in Continuing Education classes to keep her skills sharp, and plans to pursue a certificate program in Human Resource Management at SDSU Extended Studies.