Published September 19, 2023

For reasons that no longer matter so much, Alex Mendoza dropped out of high school. “But I knew I couldn’t be fooling around. I knew I needed my high school diploma to get a better job,” he said. 

He went to his counselor at Elk Grove High School, who suggested earning his GED through a District 214 Community Education program. He started in the high school equivalency class in August 2022.

Alex’s teacher, Nicol Engel, said, “He was shy but very personable, and made friends with his classmates quickly.” He cheered on his fellow students, celebrating when they passed their GED test. 

“Oftentimes Alex worked the third shift and went home for a couple of hours of sleep before coming to class,” Engel said. “He was very motivated to obtain his high school diploma and move on to the next step in his life.”

For Alex, that next step is classes at Harper College; his goal is to become certified as an HVAC specialist. He started the first two classes in the fall of 2023. “But right now what I have in mind is to learn a bit of every trade—cars, carpentry, plumbing and heating and air conditioning,” he said.

Said his teacher Engel, “Alex is dedicated to his learning and will no doubt succeed at anything he decides to do in the future.”

Alex’s story is one of countless success stories for District 214 Community Education, which is celebrating National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week from September 17-23. AEFL Week highlights the need for and value of adult education in our communities.