STATE CENTER ADULT EDUCATION CONSORTIUM
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​State Center Adult Education Consortium consists of adult schools, community colleges, and other local partners that provide basic education and short-term career technical education training for adults 18 years and older in order to assist with seamless transitions into the workforce and/or post-secondary education.​​
Student Success Stories
Learning Never Stops!

S.C.A.E.C. will be showcasing a select number of students who have a persevered and achieved their goals on furthering their education and/or careers.
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Please read their stories below.

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A smiling adult student

Stephanie Gomez
Clovis Adult Education

​Stephanie Gomez was addicted to drugs by the age of fourteen. She became a prostitute at the age of twenty-seven. She has been a victim of childhood sexual abuse, domestic abuse, a child victim of a broken home, and a victim of adult homelessness, but today she has broken the cycle. Stephanie has been sober and free of prostitution for seven and a half years. She is no longer a victim of her past. She is a SURVIVOR!

Stephanie has learned that the past doesn’t define who you are or your future. She has grown from battered and abused, strung out and ashamed; to a woman who values her worth and believes in a God who loves and redeems. When she was young, she had many dreams, but along the way those dreams faded away. Once she got sober, she began to dream again. She went to recovery meetings, outreach events, and church. She did everything to build a new life. She got a job working with a cleaning company where she started at the bottom and worked her way up to supervisor and training manager. She is forever grateful for the six years there and to the company for taking a chance on her.

With big goals in mind, Stephanie went back to school to obtain her high school diploma at Clovis Adult Education. By doing this, she started to fulfill a dream in her heart of becoming a social worker, and she put together an education plan that would allow her to accomplish her dream. She graduated on January 7, 2022 and started attending Clovis Community College on January 10, 2022. Her goal is to transfer to Fresno State University to obtain a bachelor’s degree, then a master’s degree, and finally a PhD in Social Work.

Ms. Gomez's life has been one long journey and there are still many adventures left in her story that haven’t started yet, and she is excited for each and every one of them! Her dream of becoming a social worker stems from the hard life she has lived, as she personally knows just how deep the need is for more people in this line of work. She wants to be a light in a dark situation and be a beacon of hope to people in need. If she can help just one person, man or woman, child or family who is suffering from drug addiction, alcoholism, sexual abuse, domestic violence, or human trafficking, go from feeling trapped and victimized to feeling empowered and free as a survivor, then she will have accomplished something beautiful.

​Finally, Stephanie considers herself to be a role model for her family because no matter how tough life got for her or how far down in her addiction she was, she didn’t stay there. She didn’t give up. She got up and fought her way back to life, back to her family, back to sobriety. By doing this, she hopes she has shown her family that it is never too late to start over. It's never too late to dream again, and not just follow your dreams, but chase after them. By getting sober and staying this way, she has shown her family that miracles do exist if you continue to believe in them. By going back to school and pursuing her dreams, she is showing her family that anything is possible if you just focus on something bigger than yourself. By choosing to become a social worker, she is showing her family that it is okay to let your past struggles lead you if they are taking you to a positive destination.

As a role model, Stephanie leads by example and guides those who need help down a righteous path, lifting them up along the way. She prays that she is not only a role model for her own family but for any person she meets who is struggling with something in their life. She feels by becoming a social worker, she will be in the perfect position to help somebody change their life the way she has done with hers.

A smiling adult learner

Juan Carlos Romero
Clovis Adult School

Whether it’s getting a job, meeting with your child’s teacher or having a conversation with a neighbor, being able to read, write and speak English opens a lot of doors. English as a Second Language (ESL) programs enable students to do all of those things, as well as prepare them for citizenship and the workforce — all for free.

“They offer you a lot of information and a lot of basic skills that you’re going to need,” says Juan Carlos Romero, who knows the challenges firsthand. “It’s the basis for everything because if you don’t have English (skills), at least at a basic level, you’re not really able to do a lot of things and (be part) of society.”

Today, Romero attends California State University, Fresno, where he plans to graduate with a degree in plant science next year. But in 2014, he was just starting a new life here. “I was completely lost,” he remembers. “I didn’t speak any English.”

Romero started taking ESL classes at Clovis Adult School a few months after he arrived from Mexico. Within a year, he was able to enroll in Fresno City College and then transfer to California State University, Fresno. In December 2021, he became a citizen. He says that the skills he learned through the ESL program enabled him to continue his education.

“Before I got into Clovis Adult School, I went to Fresno State to check out their programs,” he says. “They told me to go to adult education because I didn’t have the English skills to get into Fresno State at that moment. So, 
pretty much it’s the basis of everything that I’ve done since then.”

There are also opportunities for students who want to get in, get out and get a job. Several adult schools enable students to take ESL and vocational classes at the same time with the help of in-class ESL tutors. “You need to be able to understand the instructor, you need to be able to communicate in certain, specific words. The tutors in there, the paraprofessionals, can help with that,” says Oscar Hinojosa, transition specialist with the State Center Adult Education Consortium. “While their English is improving, they’ll be able to get that certificate and go out into the workforce.”

Such flexibility is key to supporting students, who may already be juggling work and families. Classes are available mornings, afternoons, evenings and online. Most are tuition free, including ESL and citizenship classes.

“You learn a lot,” says Romero. “You’re going from nothing to pretty much everything because you learn writing, reading (and) speaking. It’s a pretty complete, solid program.”
​Our Schools and Colleges
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Caruthers Adult School
Central Adult School Logo
Central Adult School
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Chawanakee Adult School

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Clovis Adult School
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Clovis Community College
Dinuba Adult School Logo
Dinuba Adult School

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Fresno Adult School
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Fresno City College
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Fresno County Superintendent of Schools

Golden Valley Adult School Logo
Golden Valley Adult School
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Kings Canyon Adult School
Madera Adult School Logo
Madera Adult School

Madera Community College Logo
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Parlier Adult School Logo
Madera Community College
Oakhurst Community College Center
Parlier Adult School

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Sanger Adult School Logo
Selma Adult School Logo
Reedley College
Sanger Adult School
Selma Adult School

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Washington Adult School Logo
Sierra Adult School
Valley ROP
Washington Adult School

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Yosemite Adult School
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The State Center Adult Education Consortium maintains significant and expansive collaborative relationships between the State Center Community College District, regional area school districts with a focus on adult education and community based partners.
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​State Center Adult Education Consortium
7942 N. Maple, Suite 103
Fresno, CA 93720
Phone: (559) 207-3189

statecenteraec.org
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