It’s Never Too Late To Finish High School

A GED is the first step on one woman’s career path

Margaret Martinez wasn’t going to let anything stop her from getting her GED. Not even math.

Going back to school as a 38-year-old, single mother of four was difficult.

“It was hard raising kids and going to school, but I was going to make them proud,” she says.

Martinez dropped out of school in seventh grade. Over the years, she said she was too busy raising her two boys and twin girls to think about going back to school. But all that changed as her children grew and needed the young mom less and less.

“When my kids were older, a light went off — I wanted a career,” she says, “And, I knew I would need to finish school to get that career.”

“It was hard raising kids and going to school, but I was going to make them proud.”

Margaret Martinez, College Student

She saw an advertisement at church for adult school and the next day she enrolled at Bakersfield Adult School.

Martinez took classes that prepared her to take the GED test, which is the best way to complete high school for students who are missing many credits. She breezed through the social science and the English lessons. The science and math lessons, however, proved to be a challenge.

“I failed that math [practice] test three times,” she says.  “It was so hard, but I was not going to give up. My future was riding on it.”

After three years, Martinez’s hard work in adult school paid off: In May 2018, she passed her exam and received her GED.

Thanks to her determination, her future is now clear. Martinez is currently enrolled in a medical assistant course and plans on going to phlebotomy school to learn how to draw blood.

Martinez points out how supportive her kids are of their student-mom.

“It is funny, my daughters are just finishing high school, they are both 4.0 students and they tell me how much they admire me,” she laughs. “I admire them!”

Written by Rodney Orosco

Man earns high school diploma at age 65

Jeff Thorsnes graduated with his high school diploma through the Tehachapi Adult School — it just took him a little bit longer than most people. Thorsnes obtained his degree at the age of 65.

“I had grandkids who were preparing to graduate from high school and go onto college,” says Thorsnes. “I began to have nightmares that I would die before I got
my degree.”

“Now I feel like I can do anything.”

Jeff Thorsnes, Tehachapi Adult School Graduate

Although he had attempted to get his diploma many times in the past, the support he received from the Tehachapi Adult School is what finally enabled him to succeed. The admissions counselors helped him go through all of his transcripts to find out what credits he needed. Typically, students who are only missing a few credits are advised that completing those classes is the easiest way to finish high school. It turns out, Thorsnes was missing a lot of credits — 45 to be exact. Nevertheless, he decided to complete them all to earn his diploma.

For close to two years, Thorsnes took online classes and went on campus once or twice per week to receive guidance from his teachers.

“It’s very emotional for me to think about the sense of accomplishment I have,” says Thorsnes. “Before I felt like a fraud. Now I feel like I can do anything.”

Despite not having a degree, Thorsnes had enjoyed a solid career in construction, working for big companies. Before online applications, it was easier to skate over the education portion. Now, applicants can’t even apply if they don’t meet the education requirements.

“I had a lot of fear, because I was pigeonholed by a situation of my own making,” says Thorsnes. “Suddenly, I couldn’t even get an entry level job … after years of working as a manager.”

Now, many doors are open to Thorsnes that were closed before. For example, he plays the fiddle and for the first time he can apply to study music at a college.

“I feel a great sense of gratitude for the teachers at the adult school,” he says. “They made it easy for me to get my diploma.”

Written by Amanada Caraway

For more information on Kern Adult Education Consortium, visit https://www.kernaec.org/.

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