Single parent finds hope and direction from adult education
Lyberal “Libby” Johnson was faced with a difficult situation several years ago. She started taking care of two children in addition to her own. Johnson stepped up and received legal guardianship of the children, becoming their foster parent a few months later. Things were very hard for her family at first, she recalls.
Johnson was receiving county assistance to make ends meet, but everything fell apart when she was laid off from her job at Home Depot — her only source of income. With no money coming in to help her support her four children, she knew she had to do something fast. “Between unemployment and county assistance, it just wasn’t enough,” Johnson says. “And being a single parent of four kids, I realized that I needed some kind of education. But, because I’m a single parent of four kids, I don’t have four years — I don’t even have two years.” Johnson says her family history weighed heavily on her decision to go back to school. She felt like she needed to be a better role model for her children and reinforce the importance of education and hard work. “I wanted to show [my children] that if you get up and you go to work and work hard, that hard work pays off and when you work hard, you get what you want,” Johnson says. “That was another factor to me — breaking the generational curse. There are other people in my family on government assistance and I just decided it’s not for me.”
“Being a single parent of four kids, I realized that I needed some kind of education. But, because I’m a single parent of four kids, I don’t have four years — I don’t even have two years.”
Lyberal Johnson, Graduate, Elk Grove Adult and Community Education program
She began researching careers she wanted to pursue, eventually settling on a job in the health care industry because it was one of the only areas growing during the economic recession. Finding a school was easier. Johnson says she prayed every night for strength. Each day, she visited campuses and figured out costs, but ultimately, it was a flier mailed from Elk Grove Adult and Community Education (EGACE) that made up her mind. To Johnson, that was God answering her prayers.
Being a product of Elk Grove School District, Johnson says she already favored EGACE, but it also turned out to be the most affordable and convenient for her. She entered the medical office assistant training program and graduated six months later. Today, Johnson is working in her field and happily providing for her four children. “Education is key,” Johnson says. “I tell that to my children. Education is for the betterment of you and your future. It’s your key to success.”
For more information, go to www.capitaladulted.org.
Written by Mike Blount
| Regions | Classes |
|---|---|
| Northern California | Careers in Health Care |
