GED program opens new doors for Mt. San Jacinto adult learners
Gerardo Sanchez dropped out of high school more than 30 years ago. Though he says there were many reasons for that decision, he recalls feeling a lack of adequate support from his teachers that left him with a long-standing lack of confidence in his scholastic abilities. His first step to overcoming that was enrolling in the GED program offered through Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC) Adult Education in 2020.
Sanchez—now 45—attained his GED in 2022, and has continued with his education since. He credits the support and encouragement he received in the program with making his second attempt at schooling far more successful.
“I really just doubted myself. I thought I wasn’t gonna be able to do it,” Sanchez says. “An instructor saw that I wasn’t getting it and she started teaching me to look at it differently and I started to understand.”
“I really just doubted myself. I thought I wasn’t gonna be able to do it. An instructor saw that I wasn’t getting it and she started teaching me to look at it differently and I started to understand.”
Gerardo Sanchez, GED and MSJC Graduate
Sanchez says that instructor—Corrin Kammer—was instrumental in helping him regain confidence in himself as a student. Kammer not only helped him through the GED program, he says, but encouraged him to keep moving forward with his education.
“When I was back in school my teachers never really cared,” Sanchez says. “She’s the first teacher I can honestly say that cared about me and wanted to see me succeed.”
The GED program is tuition-free for adult learners. Jasmine Port, the school’s director of adult education and non-credit programs, says that it is the biggest community college GED course provider in the region.
“We are one of the only colleges in this region of Riverside County that offers GED preparation,” Port says. “We have about 320 students enrolled in the GED program, which is about 25% of our overall [adult education] enrollment.”
Being designed for busy adults, the program is meant to be flexible with the options it gives potential students for scheduling. The school is also working to open more testing centers for the GED tests, and successfully established the Menifee Valley campus as a testing center on April 21.
“We offer both in person and online options to meet learners where they’re at, with classes scheduled during the day and evening and in terms of instruction,” Port says. “It’s a support program designed to help adult learners earn their high school equivalency and open new doors to education and employment.”
Students study a range of essential subjects, from writing and math to science and social studies. While called a GED program, Port points out that students in the course can earn their high school equivalency through either the GED or HiSET tests.
“Our program also offers focus classes on the more difficult or challenging subject areas, such as mathematics and English, so that is something that is also unique,” Port says.
As for Sanchez, since attaining his GED, he’s earned three associate’s degrees from MSJC—in sociology; social justice; and liberal arts in social and behavioral health. He is transferring to four-year National University and hopes to work with youth in a similar position to his own back in high school.
“If I had somebody that was like me that could talk to me in my language, and somebody that’s been through that experience, I would have listened,” he says. “Now I know how to talk to these kids and show them a better path.”
To learn more about adult education at Mt. San Jacinto College, visit msjc.edu/adulted/. To learn more about the GED program, visit msjc.edu/adulted/ged-classes.html.
Written by Jacob Peterson
| Regions | Classes & Topics |
|---|---|
| Southern California | High School |
