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Almost 300 people will graduate from Pima Community College’s Adult Education program with their diplomas after passing the GED test Thursday.
One of those students is 26-year-old Israel González.
González said dropping out of school limited his choices, which led to six years in the construction business.
“It was being in this vicious cycle of dropping out and going toward these dead end jobs,” González said. “I was frustrated by that.”
González has two daughters who are 3- and 6-years-old.
“That’s my motivation, that’s my key,” he said. “I was a father who didn’t read to their children, didn’t pay attention to the homework they brought home.”
He decided to go back to school, attending class at El Pueblo Liberty Learning Center where he was also a volunteer with AmeriCorps. He spent dozens of hours in the classroom as a tutor.
“You start to pay more attention,” González said. “It’s helped me grow in so many ways and one of them is becoming a better father.”
González won’t spend graduation in the audience. He is the student speaker at the ceremony.
“I won’t give it all away, but I want people to know where I came from,” González said. “It wasn’t happy beginnings, it was humble beginning for me and we’re still going.”
González plans to continue his education with the goal of eventually becoming a teacher.
If you plan to attend, the event is at 7 p.m., Thursday, May 14 at the Tucson Convention Center’s Leo Rich Theater, 260 S. Church Ave.
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