A mother gets her high school degree and pursues a new, lucrative career trajectory
School comes with many challenges, but returning to finish a degree as an adult brings its own unique demands when other responsibilities get in the way of pursuing a lucrative career trajectory.
Parenting, work, errands—the list goes on. That didn’t stop Shundreka Perry, however, after she learned about the Lompoc Adult School and Career Center (LASCC) and decided to give it a shot in hopes of improving her job opportunities.
That shot created a path for Perry to finally graduate with her high school diploma in June 2021.
She had first learned about the high school program through some friends who had also enrolled in classes there. Soon, Perry followed suit and, to achieve her goal, took on a full load of general education classes such as math, economics, English and government, all while balancing parenting and also working as a caregiver at LASCC as part of its In-Home Supportive Services program, a Medi-Cal program funded by federal, state, and county dollars that pays in-home caregivers.
“It was difficult but as long as I put my mind to it … saying ‘I can do this,’ I was dedicated to getting that high school diploma.”
Shundreka Perry, High School Graduate, Lompoc Adult School and Career Center
Perry says that it was a “toss up” when it came to deciding whether she wanted to pursue her degree or instead continue with jobs that didn’t require a high school diploma. Even with help from her partner, caring for her three children was practically its own full-time job.
“It was difficult, but as long as I put my mind to it … saying ‘I can do this,’ I was dedicated to getting that high school diploma,” Perry says. “Once I kept going towards that as my goal, eventually I got it all done.”
Even though Perry has worked for IHSS, a county program that pays caregivers, for more than a decade, she says she is now looking into different career fields for which she now qualifies with a high school degree.
She’s also considering college to further advance her job opportunities. There’s also talk of a possible return to LASCC to take its certified nursing assistant classes, which in turn will provide her with yet another career opportunity.
Perry offers one key piece of advice for adult learners who may be nervous about going back to school.
“Get that high school diploma because as you get older a lot of jobs you see require it,” Perry says. “Go out there and work towards that goal because once you get it you feel good and have doors opening for you.”
For more information on the Lompoc Adult School and Career Center’s high school degree program, visit https://adulteducation.lusd.org/.
Written by Sonia Pagán
| Regions | Classes & Topics |
|---|---|
| South Coast California | High School |
