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Speaker 1: OTAN, Outreach and Technical Assistance Network.

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Jesus Lopez-varela: I'm from Mexico City, Mexico, the capital. I went-- Well, I started my high school there in Mexico. And I started working at a very early age, probably at 14. I worked at a dry cleaning service. And it became my trade for many years. I got enrolled in the university in Mexico. I was studying veterinary medicine. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish my career there because of some money issues.

Susana Rivera: Because of the problems that we have in our country, we have to come here. And now we see that we're lucky. He started right away working at the dry cleaning.

Jesus Lopez-varela: I knew right away that I needed to go to school to learn the language. So a week later, after arriving, I looked for a school, an adult school in the old Oxnard high school. We were there. And I started studying their English.

Susana Rivera: We started taking ESL classes and they are to school. So sometimes we took turns. Jesus would stay with the kids two or three nights, and I'd come to the classes, and vise versa.

Linda Sugino: He's one of those people who work full time and then they go to school full time. And they get A's, and it's just amazing to me, IN another language, in his second language.

Susana Rivera: He was full time employee, but he always found the time to come to the class and finish those subjects.

Linda Sugino: Jesus and his wife both got the high school diploma from Oxnard Adult School. His daughter graduated from Oxnard high school at the same time. And his older daughter graduated from Cal State, Northridge. And so they took one graduation, picture with all of them. And I just love that picture.

Jesus Lopez-varela: I have a very good family, a lot of communication, a lot of respect but there was something missing in me. And that was the Bachelor degree.

Connie Trujillo: His goal, was really clear that he wanted to be a teacher. And he did it. He know he did whatever he has to do in order to be a teacher. And that's amazing.

Jesus Lopez-varela: Those people at the migrant program need a tutor to help migrant students with math, with reading, any subject in the high school diploma program. Many of them got their high school diplomas or GED. So that was my first job this school.

Viki Costa: He's really dedicated and focused. And other students see that he had to work really hard, but he can do it. And look where he's at today.

Kathy Greaves: I know he was going for his University degree when I met him. And he was trying to get into, the teaching field. While he was doing that, we were creating, this wonderful Spanish GED.

Viki Costa: He felt that it was very important, especially in our area there was a need to have the high school equivalency in Spanish.

Jesus Lopez-varela: It was an immediate success. The first day I had to put extra chairs in front of the classroom because it was packed.

Susana Rivera: He's more fun. I think so. Now that I have finished with the school and he's really, really enjoyed the teaching. He loves to teach.

Jesus Lopez-varela: I love music. I cannot live without music. I can play several instruments, sometimes at the same time.

Linda Sugino: Whenever we have a party here, he's the one bringing his various instruments and singing and getting everybody started.

Roosevelt Beckett: He played music and he sang for the guests that were down there. I was in awe.

Kathy Greaves: He has been a role model, because see what you can do. You know and at the counter when he meets people, oh, yeah, this is possible, I did it, and I know you can.

Jesus Lopez-varela: These classrooms, have seen me grow old, because now I'm 61. I came here when I was 30. My beloved Oxnard Adult School has been very important in my life. It has helped me grow emotionally. All my colleagues, my coworkers, we're a family here in Oxnard Adult School. We're really a family.

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