At 14 years of age, Elly Hernandez was already working full time as well as going to school. By the time she was 16, she had to choose between helping take care of her family and completing her education. She made the difficult choice to put her family first and drop out of school.
However, Elly was not done. She decided to pursue her high school equivalency and turned to SRTC’s free Adult Education program to help her achieve her goal. Fran Puryear, one of her Adult Education instructors, said, “When I first met Eileen “Elly” Hernandez as a student, she was like a ray of sunshine coming into the room.”
She had some early false starts towards earning her high school equivalency, as unhealthy relationships, depression, a pregnancy, and the responsibilities of being a young mom all kept her education goals just out of reach.
In 2020, Elly was ready for a change. She became focused on her education because she knew that for her to give her son the best, she had to do the best for herself first. She immediately sat down with her teachers and laid out plans for completing each course within a specific period. She was determined. She was diligent. She consistently stayed on track. She studied in class and at home.
Fran Puryear said, “With each goal she accomplished, you could see her determination gain strength. One of her instructors told her, ‘I want a Christmas present from you, Elly. I want you to complete your GED by Christmas 2020.’ Well, that is exactly what she did. When that happened, all of her teachers jumped up in delight for her. We all knew this was her new beginning.”
Elly successfully passed the four-part GED test, earning her high school equivalency just three months after returning to adult education classes. Two weeks later, she was offered a wonderful job thanks in part to her accomplishment.
Elly is still not done. Since she was a little girl, Elly has loved helping others, and now she wants to use that passion in the medical field. She plans to continue her education and to continue teaching her son the value of hard work, determination, and education.