Mary’s Story

Mary is 19 years old. When Mary was 12, she and her family migrated to the Unites States from Mexico. Her mother, father, and older brother found work harvesting crops throughout the west and southwest in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. Once Mary was old enough, she also began working in the fields. The family has always been mobile, moving, seasonally, to where the work is.

Although Mary regularly attended school in Mexico, in the U.S. her schooling has been interrupted at best, and non-existence at worst. Moving from place to place made attending school regularly difficult and finishing high school impossible. Finally, after 7+ years, it appears that the family will have an opportunity to settle down in one place.

Mary is a bright and talented woman. She is very artistic, often sketching the landscapes she has experienced on her many travels. Mary would like to drastically improve her English, get a driver’s license, and find a job where she can use her artistic talents. Witnessing firsthand her parent’s health issues, she wants healthcare. Mary sees preparing for and completing her General Educational Development (GED) certification as an opportunity to reach her immediate goals.

Mary is eager to learn, and she loves to read history and short stories and write poetry. However, as of right now, she is unable to meet high school requirements for lack of proficiency in math, technology, and English. Mary needs to develop proficiency in conversational English, as well as academic literacy in reading and writing. Mary is between illiterate to low level on the English language proficiency scale. Her poor academic skills are a direct result of her interrupted schooling.