“Graduate New Mexico: Man is first in family to earn diploma” |
| Graduate New Mexico: Man is first in family to earn diploma Posted: 18 Dec 2010 06:36 PM PST LAS CRUCES - Pedro Gonzales, 20, was going to forgo the one math credit he needed to earn his high school diploma. At age 19, he felt too old to go to school and he already had a job needed to pay the bills. But then he realized how much of a role model he was to two youngsters in particular. "I did it because one of my nephews told me he wasn't going to graduate high school because I didn't," Gonzales said. "So I actually went back to try to find new ways to graduate, for him." Gonzales is the first student to graduate from Graduate New Mexico, a statewide program launched in September as an initiative to bring dropouts back to complete high school graduation requirements. Through the program, the Public Education Department made online courses available to nearly 10,000 students that need to make up credits. Currently, Las Cruces Public Schools is working with more than 60 students in Graduate New Mexico; students must be 18 years old or older and no longer in school; the oldest Graduate New Mexico student is 47, according to LCPS. In addition to Graduate New Mexico, LCPS also offers EXCEL Career Exploration classes and Career Co-op work experience as possible opportunities to earn high school credit. EXCEL allows students to explore a career they are interested in and work with a mentor. And Career Co-op allows students to work and document their hours while taking a course with corresponding curriculum. Gonzales was the first in his family to graduate from high school. He will start classes at Do a Ana Community College in January to earn an associate degree in auto mechanics.Christine Rogel can be reached at (575) 541-5424. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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