Christina and Verna took two paths to achieving the same goal: Finish high school
Returning to school felt strange at first for Christina Palacios and Verna Brown, but there is nothing odd about what that decision has meant to them.
“Adult education saved my life,” Palacios says. “Really, that’s how I feel about it.”
Says Brown: “In my family, none of us had finished high school. To be able to accomplish this, it shows it can be done. You can make your life a success if you don’t give up.”
Palacios took a harrowing path after walking away from high school at age 16.
“I’ve had a crazy past,” she says. “Substance abuse. Prostitution. Time in a federal prison. But I knew I deserved better and I had to keep pushing. I wanted to make myself proud and to have the respect of my family. I wanted more out of life.”
Palacios’ ultimate goal is to help others who were in her position. She wants to be a substance abuse counselor and work in a youth outreach center. Doing those things, however, meant she needed to finish high school.
If I can go from being a high school dropout to being an honor student in college, really, anything is possible.
Christina Palacios
Merritt College student
An internet search about high school equivalency led her back to McClymonds High in Oakland.
Easing back into a classroom was aided by the connection she made with instructor Patricia Jackson. A couple of failing grades in science didn’t deter Palacios — she earned her high school equivalency (HSE) in November 2015.
From there, she enrolled at Merritt College, where she was vice president of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society. Her goals of a four-year degree and a career in counseling are still on track.
“Before I did this, I was very depressed. I didn’t see much of a future. I knew I needed to get my life together, but I didn’t know where to start,” she says. “If I can go from being a high school dropout to being an honor student in college, really, anything is possible.”
Brown’s road back to school was longer. It had been 30 years since she dropped out, most of the time spent working as a nurse.
She also had a goal of service, hoping to open a group home for seniors. But there was work to be done. In her case, a lot of work.
Through adult education, Brown worked simultaneously on getting her high school diploma and getting her AA degree at Merritt College, all while working a graveyard shift.
“I was able to do it with the strength of God,” she says. “After 30 years, I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but when I found out I was so close to that diploma, I was just glued to it. And now, I am so proud of myself.”
Sitting in classes for history, a subject she never liked, Brown says she suddenly found herself becoming interested. Getting to know the stories of the students around her also helped her formed bonds that made the experience richer.
“To me, this is about more than a diploma,” she says. “It’s an achievement. I really want to get the message to people, telling them how important it is to keep the doors open, to not give up on people. I have a chance to be successful because that door was open for me.”
Written by Matt Jocks
| Regions | Classes |
|---|---|
| Bay Area California | High School |
