Mother of four kickstarts educational career after 20 years outside the classroom
Monica Rodriguez, 41, keeps her new high school diploma in her bedroom, where she can lay eyes on it the first thing in the morning and the last thing before she drifts off to sleep. Even so, she can barely believe that her degree is not just a dream, but solid reality.
The certificate is no fantasy, thanks to the teachers at the Lompoc Adult School and Career Center (LASCC) and her family’s unwavering support—as well as her own persistence and hard work.
“I didn’t do it alone,” Rodriguez says. “I’m lucky to have a lot of people around to help me.”
The mother of four’s educational journey, which included studying for United States citizenship, started five years ago with a basic goal—to improve her English.
“The teachers encouraged and supported me—and they gave me all the time I needed. If I lost heart, they’d say, ‘You can do it!’”
Monica Rodriguez, High School Graduate, Lompoc Adult School and Career Center
“The teachers encouraged and supported me—and they gave me all the time I needed. If I lost heart, they’d say, ‘You can do it!’” Rodriguez says.
Her husband was also a big help, she adds.
“He took care of the kids when I was taking a class or doing homework,” she says. “He inspired me to not give up.”
Raised in Mexico, Rodriguez left school at the equivalent of the eighth grade level, more than 20 years passed before she returned to classes as an adult.
“I really like school now; it’s not the same as when I was young,” she said, chuckling. “Back then, I’d complain that it was so hard.”
When she enrolled at LASCC l in 2019, her children—now 22, 20, 18 and 15—were teenagers, her youngest just 10. Soon, they became their mother’s biggest boosters.
“My kids would say, ‘Mom! You can do this!’” Rodriguez says.
After completing her first year of English classes, she got a job at a grocery store, working weekday mornings.
“I worked while the kids were in school,” she says. “Then at night, I did my own schoolwork.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in 2020, LASCC switched to online classes, which gave Rodriguez additional flexibility with her schedule and responsibilities. This gave Rodriguez the chance to juggle studying for U.S. citizenship with her high school diploma classes. The combination of the two proved beneficial, she says.
The American history courses I took were also a big help with my citizenship studies. All those classes really helped,” Rodriguez says. “I passed the citizenship test the first time I took it, no problems at all.”
Rodriguez received her high school degree in June 2024. Her husband, her kids, and her father-in-law all attended her commencement. The experience of seeing so many other adult students receiving their diplomas, she says, was affirming and enlightening.
“You know that all of [those students] have different problems, different responsibilities,” she says. “You realize you are not the only one. We all want to have something better for ourselves and our families.”
Now, the high school diploma displayed by her bed doesn’t mean her education is finished.
“When I see that diploma, I’m proud of myself, of what I have accomplished,” Rodriguez says. “But now, I’m planning to go back to school. I’d like to be a school nurse who works with kids.”
For more information on the Lompoc Adult School and Career Center visit https://adulteducation.lusd.org/.
Written by Dorothy Korber
| Regions | Classes & Topics |
|---|---|
| South Coast California | English as a Second Language – High School |
