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Saul Godinez: My original country is from Mexico, and I was born in Jalisco. So when I completed my high school education and started college, I loved the English language. And so, I looked for the opportunity to come to the United States and learn more of the language. I only studied English for one year in college year. And then due to economic reasons, I had to stop.

Then I began working at a landscaping business. And then I quickly learned that was a job that I did not go to school for. And so I applied for a sales job by 2001, because I was working from 6 o'clock in the morning to about 10 o'clock at night. I would go home and see my children just grow at night. And I felt that that was not necessarily how I wanted my family to grow.

I saw one of the flyers at Tamalpais Adult School when I came into the adult education. I met with Jaemi, the counselor. And she was very assuring to my abilities.

Jaemi Naish: Like many of our students, he works 40-plus hours. He's a father of four, and then found time to come to school. So I'm always very impressed with our students, but him especially. And so, he worked really hard as a student. But I think that's how he works in life in general.

Zoe Miner: Saul was very dedicated. He really made it a point to attend every class that he could. And when he was here, he tried to optimize his time and use his time most efficiently.

Saul Godinez: I felt that it was a sacrifice that would pay off and showing my children that when you have dedication, anything is possible. So my role with my current employer Canal Alliance is a Family Resources Coordinator. And what we do there is assist individuals in the community find resources to their needs. And my role is primarily to open the doors for them to be able to understand that there are some limitations, and that also there are some resources for all of us.

Karen McCredie: So part of that always extended to our classroom. So if anybody needed to know where they should go for social services, or where they should go to get extra help for whichever community they were in, he knew. And he was always really gracious and helpful.

Saul Godinez: Education is not a short term. It's a lifelong journey. And even though we not in school, or in a classroom setting, we always have the ability and the opportunity to learn. Coming into the classroom, it has allowed us to focus our attention and develop the pathways that we couldn't do otherwise by ourselves.

Jaemi Naish: Not only is he a community leader, and he is intelligent, he's been a leader as a student here in our school, has spoken to our student body several times about what earning a GED has meant to him, and what it's done for him and his family.

Saul Godinez: The impact on my youngest children, when they saw me walk through the ceremony and hold that certificate, it was a very emotional moment for them, as well as it was for me. I remember them saying they were very proud of their dad for attaining the next level of education. And they were hoping that they would get to that as well.

My daughter says, Dad, I just want to grow up and be like you. So for those of us who are returning to the adult education, or thinking about going to an Adult School program, don't be afraid. It is not as hard as it seems. It's our own insecurity in many times that is preventing us from getting the education that we need. It's not easy, but it's definitely not impossible.

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