A mother returns to school for ESL classes and a phlebotomy technician certification
Rosalba Navarro needed to understand the assignments her children were bringing home from school. At the age of 26, she had arrived in California from Mexico without understanding English. Determined, she enrolled in an English as a second language class at Lompoc Adult School and Career Center (LASCC).
That seemingly simple decision led to an ever-increasing hunger for learning. After her ESL course, Navarro completed LASCC’s high school diploma program and a medical assistant certification a short time later. Now, she working her way through the LASCC’s phlebotomy technician certification course.
“For people like me— getting into this culture, learning the language—every single day is different,” she says. “Having this opportunity, that I thought I would never have, it’s a blessing for me.”
Navarro, now 47, says she had wanted to become a phlebotomist because she liked the work when she took a similar course in Mexico. There, however, she was unable to finish the class because she couldn’t afford it. Years later, LASCC gave her the opportunity to take course for free at Lompoc Adult School.
“I was craving this type of job,” she says. “It’s something that I wanted to do for a long time, and now I am enjoying it so much. Just yesterday my husband was telling me that I look so happy.”
The program combines 48 hours of classroom instruction and a 40-hour externship drawing blood samples at the Lompoc Valley Medical Center, where she heard from staff that phlebotomists are in demand at hospitals and private clinics. She added that her instructor, an employee at the hospital, has made the occupation seem accessible and straightforward.
“This is my way to teach my children not to give up and to keep studying.”
Rosalba Navarro, Phlebotomy Technician Student, Lompoc Adult School and Career Center
“My teacher was very professional and experienced, she says. “When she was teaching us, it seems so easy because she explained everything so well.”
Navarro originally came to the United States to visit her sister and brother for a few months, but then she met her husband and fell in love.
“We decided to get married and have a family,” she says.
While she admits that adapting to a new country has had its challenges, she says her family has always supported her in her education, which she partially did to set an example for her children.
“This is my way to teach my children not to give up and to keep studying,” she says. “If I can do it and I’m struggling with the language and culture and everything, my children don’t have that problem, so they can do better than me and never stop trying or studying new things. They got the message and they are doing well in school.”
Navarro says that her daughter even wrote an essay in high school about the motivation her mother’s journey had given her.
And Navarro adds, her education isn’t done yet as she’s considering taking LASCC’s EKG technician course and whatever else sparks her interest in the future.
“I’m going to keep studying,” she says. “I’m going to keep looking for more programs and it’s because of the opportunity that Lompoc Adult School gave me. They changed my life.”
To learn more about the Lompoc Adult School and Career Center, visit https://adulteducation.lusd.org/
Written by John Flynn
| Regions | Classes & Topics |
|---|---|
| Northern California | Careers in Health Care |
