A teen mom returned to school for her high school diploma—and a career
When Janette Lara got pregnant in high school, she feared she wouldn’t graduate. After she turned 18, she says she was “pretty much dropped” from her high school, despite being only two credits shy of graduation.
Then, Lara says she learned of a school that would take her: the Lompoc Adult School and Career Center (LASCC). She applied to its high school diploma program in April 2011, very close to the June graduation and past the deadline students are typically accepted. But Lara says she only needed to complete her senior project, an assignment she finished in only two classes.
“They gave me the opportunity to graduate,” says Lara, now 33. “I cried. I’m the youngest of four and no one else had graduated. Giving my parents that diploma showed them that even though I had a daughter at a young age, I could still manage to accomplish my goal.”
After, Lara worked various jobs, including at a payday loan store, but then met her husband and got pregnant again. She wanted a job where she could work from home and set her own hours, allowing her to spend time with her children and attend school activities. So she learned how to style eyelashes and opened her own business in her parents’ home where she sees clients regularly. Although the business did well, she says she sought new opportunities.
“They gave me the opportunity to graduate. I cried. I’m the youngest of four and no one else had graduated.”
Janette Lara, Graduate and Career Center Technician, Lompoc Adult School and Career Center (LASCC)
“I wanted to do more,” she says. “I wanted to be around other people because I’m a people person. I talk a lot and I just like to be out there.”
Her sister-in-law worked in the human resources department for Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD) and encouraged her to apply for a job. In a full circle moment, Lara was hired by the same school that allowed her to get her high school diploma. She became a bilingual liaison for LASCC to assist its many English Language Program students. She helped EL students navigate enrollment, translated for teachers and administrators who didn’t speak Spanish, and assisted during orientation and graduation.
“I was pretty much everywhere,” Lara says.
Eventually, after translating several times for one of the college’s career center technician employees, LASCC hired her in that role. Now, Lara does everything from helping students choose classes to calling prospective employers to vouch for candidates who have graduated from LASCC’s programs.
Often when Lara helps somebody, she says, they spread the word to friends and family, who then come into the college’s ever-growing career center for assistance.
“A lot of our students who are Spanish speakers, they’re afraid to take that step. When they come here and start conversing with me, they feel comfortable because I can understand them,” she says. “It feels amazing because we’re helping a lot of our community find jobs and succeed.”
In her job, she helps students craft resumes, highlight relevant experience in cover letters and borrow laptops so they can navigate the labyrinth of online job applications.
“Some of our students, they have never touched a computer in their life,” she says. “I always sit down like, ‘Here, I’ll show you,’ so they feel comfortable.”
Over time, Lara has fostered relationships with organizations like Goodwill, Chumash Casino Resort, Lompoc Valley Medical Center and LUSD, all of whom trust that when she sends them an applicant, they’re getting a reliable worker.
“If we have the opportunity, I try to help students because it’s hard,” she says. “Sometimes, they don’t know where to start. So, we give them that push and that confidence. It’s never too late to start this journey.”
To learn more about the Lompoc Adult School and Career Center, visit https://adulteducation.lusd.org/
Written by John Flynn
| Regions | Classes & Topics |
|---|---|
| South Coast California | High School |
