When Elia, mother of the Solis family, heard Unidos was offering a path to obtain her GED diploma entirely in Spanish, she was very excited. Enrolling in classes in 2018, she initially struggled with writing exams. After an evaluation, her instructor noticed that barriers to her success had their origins outside the classroom.
Referred to a Family Advocate, Elia was motivated to do this with the goal of no longer being inhibited by a lack of education in her youth. The mother of two U.S.-born children, she’d realized her capacity to help play an active role in their education had been reached, as she had only finished the 3rd grade in a Mexican elementary school. Her predicament in helping her children was exactly the inspiration she needed to further her own education.
Knowing her lack of ability was primarily tied to illiteracy, a determined Elia – with a 100% attendance record — took every test, regardless of the outcome.
Collectively, we established the goal of general reading comprehension in several subjects. Shortly thereafter, due to her efforts, exams were passed. With her grown children and husband supporting her, Elia excelled in Writing, Social Studies, Math, and Sciences. Reading was the final hurdle.
While the pandemic’s arrival thrust Elia into remote, computer-based learning, with which she struggled at first, her children’s help allowed her to become more computer-literate.
Sadly, before her classes’ completion, Elia and her husband contracted COVID. In the face of more pressing matters of health, employment, and income, a leave of absence from her learning was necessary. Through Unidos, she and her family received food for several weeks and follow-ups on their condition. Though her condition was severe, her family was able to stretch savings and endure. Working with an Unidos advocate, the family has been able to get control of their finances and reestablish their savings.
Despite the extreme challenges 2020 presented, Elia dug in even further. To this day, she continues to enroll in classes for the betterment of herself and her family.