Celebrating at Summer Graduation

OVER 65 ADULTS HONORED FOR EARNING THEIR DIPLOMA

LearningQuest celebrates adult student accomplishments at graduation ceremony

LearningQuest hosted the Summer Graduation & Awards Night for adults who have earned their High School Equivalency (HSE) diploma since Fall of 2021. Graduates are from all over our community and 35 made sure to attend and experience the memorable walk across the stage in front of their family and friends at Redeemer Church in Modesto on June 23, 2022.

Award winners were recognized in three notable categories: Best Effort, Most Improved, and Greatest Achievement. Learn more about the winners below.

Thank you to all who joined us in celebrating the accomplishments of these hard-working individuals who have chosen to earn their diploma and change their life for themselves and the families they support.

View all the photos from graduation in the "Summer 2022 Graduation" photo album on the LearningQuest Facebook page, click the orange button below:

More Photos of Graduation

Experience the excitement of graduation through the recording on the LQ Facebook page! Click the image below or scan the QR code with your camera to view the ceremony recording on LearningQuest’s Facebook page!

AWARD WINNERS

Best Effort - Jamie Elizabeth Palmer

For the extraordinary effort of overcoming challenges and committing to long-term educational goals.

Jaime is a mother learning at the Day Reporting Center while on probation. She had a difficult childhood and spent a short time in jail, but Jaime sets herself apart by bringing a motivated attitude to class. She eagerly pays attention to her instructors all while pregnant and due in August! Jaime proudly applies what she learns in class to real-life situations, such as calculating percentages on tips. She has put forth so much effort in changing her life for her daughter and accomplished her goal by graduating this past month.

Most Improved - Nicole Hipolito

For extraordinary improvement in skills needed for a diploma as the result of hard work, perseverance, commitment, and focus.

Nicole has shown great improvement simply through her dedication to her goals. Nicole has a special-needs child and made sure that her daughter was taken proper care of each day before she came to class. Out of the five subject tests to pass, Nicole breezed past reading, writing, social studies, and science in two short months. Math was her most challenging subject. Nicole kept a positive attitude, stayed proactive in class, attended tutoring sessions every week, watched YouTube math tutorial videos, and studied outside of the classroom in order to finally pass the math test one and a half years later! Nicole’s tutor and instructors all agree that she has shown the importance of not giving up and steady perseverance.

Greatest Achievement - Adilene Zamora Ortiz

For the overall extraordinary effort in pursuing education, achieving goals, and inspiring future graduates.

Adilene (Ady) started her journey at a young age living in Mexico in an abusive relationship in impoverished conditions. She became a mother and started working in the fields to provide for her family. When they moved to San Diego, she travelled to Mexico each day to work. Ady was gone from 5 am – 11 pm every day she worked. When her son turned three, she gained the strength to leave her partner and focus on her education in order to find a better job to support them. Ady was able to become a medical assistant but found that it wasn’t the right field for her. She needed to get her diploma and pursue her dream of going to law school. Ady enrolled in LearningQuest’s Spanish HSE class, and after the pandemic slowed, she returned to English HSE classes. Ady found a supportive partner for herself and her son, and after giving birth to their daughter, her husband changed his work schedule to accommodate her classes. Ady didn’t want to miss out on class so she would step out during breaks to pump for her newborn. For her tests, she felt defeated when she didn’t pass the first time, but she stayed focused and did not give up. After just a few months, Ady retook her tests and passed them all – she graduated! Now that she’s earned her diploma and her daughter has turned one, she’s on track to start classes at Modesto Junior College. She inspires her instructors and classmates to focus on achieving goals no matter the hardships or obstacles we face in life.

GRADUATES

Edna Judith Aceves García

Arturo Aguila

Melissa Alvarado

Evedena Davena Amezquita-Ochoa

Maria E. Ayala

Gerarda Brambila Lozano

Carlos Castellanos Nunez

Ashley M. Cook*

Amber A. Damas

Christen A. Davis

Beatrice Delgado

Alejandra Flores

María Alejandra Flores Mendoza

Juliannah Arielle Nicole Foley*

Jorge Antonio Gamarra Tinoco

Talia R. Garcia

Lizbeth Garibay Arroyo

Steven Gokey

Fareen L. Hassan-Martinez

Nicole Lynn Hipolito

Sonia Jaloma

Kari D. Kaiser***

Yuriz Janeth Lara Arellano

Maria Guadalupe Lomeli Rico

Rohne Lomon*

Imelda Maria Lopez Rossette

Mario Lucas

Mariela Maldonado Corona

Martina Martinez

Evelin Méndez Magaña

Michelle Mendoza

Brigny S. Meza

María Araceli Miranda Rivas

Asmaa Nasher

Gabriel Navas Vida

Hannah Nethercott

Alejandro Nuño

Diego Antonio Nuño Leyva

Coraima Orozco

Mario Ortega

Jamie Elizabeth Palmer*

Noemí De Jesús Parocua

Kathleen E. Pesicka

Rosario Quintana

Robert Rosales

Shawn G Salinas*

Jaqueline Toledo

Eduardo Tamez Uballe

Esmeralda F. Uribe

Florentina Velasco Reyes

Autumn L Warthan

Jacqueline Wentzel*

Jayson C. Wheeler*

Adilene Zamora Ortiz

* Graduated with Honors

*** Valedictorian

LearningQuest – Stanislaus Literacy Centers is a non-profit organization that has provided literacy services to more than 10,000 people for over 30 years.  No-cost programs are available to help adults earn their diploma, families to learn English, and to adults and children to improve reading and writing skills through tutoring.  Serving individuals throughout Stanislaus County, hybrid (in-person and online) classes and tutoring now makes it possible for any student from any location to learn. We focus on helping our students reach their educational goals that in turn impact their family. More information about LearningQuest students and services can be found at www.LQSLC.com or by calling 209-548-9266.

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