How a landscaper used ESL classes to jumpstart his education and career
After long days working landscaping jobs, often with a 90-minute commute each way, Eli Camacho still found the energy to go home, take a short break, and get back to work at Allan Hancock College (AHC) where he had enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes in 2019. The routine was difficult, he says, but necessary.
“I tried to do my best,” Camacho says. “I’d get home from work, take a few minutes to rest or have a snack, and then go to class.”
Camacho, 33, came to the United States when he was 14. His dream was to learn English and continue his education, but at the time he didn’t have the opportunity. Instead, he went to work.
The ambition for an education persisted, however. Years later, living in Santa Maria and still working long days, Camacho decided to give school another try. Close friends encouraged him to take the first step. Although his work schedule made it feel like the timing wasn’t perfect, he knew continuing his education was critical to his future.
“I was thinking about starting a business, but my first goal was to improve my English.”
Eli Camacho, Student, Allan Hancock College
“I was thinking about starting a business, but my first goal was to improve my English,” he says.
After more than a year in ESL classes, Camacho decided to take the next step and enroll in Hancock’s GED program. The experience of being in school, surrounded by supportive classmates and instructors, inspired him to start planning for his future as he realized that earning his high school equivalency could open the door to starting his own business.
Along the way, Camacho met classmates who motivated him and instructors who provided steady support. One of those instructors was his math teacher, Carlos Gonzalez.
“Carlos was the best teacher I had,” Camacho says. “If we asked something and he didn’t have the answer, he would find it. He gave us links and resources, whatever he could to help.”
After earning his GED from AHC in 2023, Camacho began pursuing the training required to be a licensed landscaper. Today, he owns and operates his own company, where he designs outdoor spaces, prepares estimates, and installs features like fire pits, pavers, and full gardens.
Camacho says working for someone else used to feel like clocking in and waiting for the weekend. Now, it’s different.
“I work more, but it pays off,” he says. “You’re more responsible, but you have more freedom. You’re building something that’s yours.”
Camacho hopes to grow the business and eventually hire others in his community. He’s already teaching his children the basics of landscaping and wants them to have even more opportunities, including college.
For anyone unsure about going back to school, Camacho shares the same advice his friends gave him all those years ago.
“There’s never a perfect time,” he says. “People say they don’t have time or that they’ll start later. But you just have to follow your instinct. Any chance you have, just do it.”
For more information on Allan Hancock College visit https://www.hancockcollege.edu/
Written by Greg Micek
| Regions | Classes & Topics |
|---|---|
| South Coast California | English as a Second Language |
