AVANCE Seeks Mentors for GED students
AVANCE has launched “GED on the Move,” a program designed to prepare
students to earn their GED certificate and help them move forward to
higher education.
As a support service to this initiative, the C-PALS (Corporate Partners
for Adult Literacy Success) mentorship program has been created and
AVANCE is currently seeking business professionals to serve as mentors
to the GED students. Volunteers will receive training on college
readiness, components of GED on the Move and additional available
resources for college students. They will meet or confer once a month
with their student for approximately one year. The objective is to
ensure that the GED student is fully prepared to transition to a
post-secondary institution or training plan.
“We strongly encourage business leaders to invest in our students by
supporting the mentorship program” said Jose Villarreal, Executive
Director for AVANCE.
“In today’s world a high school equivalent is not adequate preparation
to stay employed. We want to provide as many resources available so that
GED graduates can earn college credentials and secure positions in the
workforce to provide better futures for their families” He added.
Dora Hinojosa who oversees AVANCE’s adult literacy programs says she has
one-on-one conversations with her students and enjoys seeing their
enthusiasm to further their studies. “Some of these students dropped out
of high school to join the workforce in order to help their parents pay
bills. Others became parents at an early age and had to work full-time
jobs to provide for their children. Now they are ready to continue with
their education we are here to provide tools they need to reach their
educational goals,” she says.
To assist with tuition costs, AVANCE awards a scholarship to all its GED
graduates who enroll in college. Other components of GED On The Move
include: financial aid orientation, job training, parent academy
coaching, scholarship applications, college field trips and online study
lab. Some career options such as the Child Development certificate can
be earned on-site at AVANCE.
Many AVANCE GED students have participated in other programs offered by
the agency and/or have children enrolled in its Head Start and Early
Head Start services.
To join C-PALS call Thu Nguyen at 713 812-0033 or email
Tnguyen@avancehouston.org
AVANCE’s mission is to unlock America’s potential by strengthening
families in at-risk communities through effective parenting education
and support programs.
