Mario Gomez: From ESL Student to High School Diploma - with Hard Work, Dedication, and San Mateo Adult School

Mario Gomez graduated in June with a High School Diploma story.  His story, here in his own words, is powerful testament to the strength of himself and his family and the value of Adult Education.

My name is Mario Gomez, and I firmly believe that the importance of education is something that we learn at the young age.

I came from a humble family in Guatemala. Neither of my parents had an opportunity to attend high school, and faced many struggles in their lives. When I was five years old my single mother left me with my relatives in Guatemala, and she decided to come looking for better opportunities in the United States. Even though I spent most of my childhood without my parents, I never felt alone because I had the love of my relatives. They made a commitment early in my life to do everything in the correct way within their power to instill in me a love of learning and an understanding of the importance of hard work and dedication.

My childhood was not easy, but I overcame all the bad moments to gain more life experiences, and all my mistakes were lessons. I moved to the United States in 2008 at the age of 22, and everything was so different from my country and it was a new challenge in my life. My main concern was, where I could learn English? My mother told me about the San Mateo Adult School and its great programs and she encouraged me to attend the English classes. When I started to attend the school, I was afraid to communicate, but I learned that I am the only person responsible for my success. I remember when one of my teachers told me, “Mario, no matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress. You are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying. You have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days of your life.”



Those words inspired to keep going in school. At the same time, I met great teachers in the school who believed in my potential and they always encouraged me to pursue my dreams.

Once I completed my studies in the ESL program, l decided to take the opportunity to enroll in the High School Diploma Program. During my long path in the high school diploma, I learned the importance of studying, hard work and dedication. Also inspired me to help the school by serving on the student council as board member because I wanted to give back what the school has done for me.

One of my childhood dreams is to work for a company or organization that helps people and I decided that my next goal is to study psychology or nursing at Cañada College because “I want to help and inspire people because people will rarely remember what you did for them, but they will always remember how you made them feel, and I learn from my own experience that life is not about making others happy; life is about sharing your happiness with others. “

 

Mario and Mr. T

Family, teachers, school administrators, friends and of course my fellows graduates, I want to thank you all of you for support that you have given us to reach this point in our lives. We couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you and I wish you the best in your near future.