Esther Lomeli knows firsthand what hopes and dreams her students have for their future. She also knows firsthand the role that adult education can play in achieving those dreams. She was once an adult education student herself.
Lomeli was born in the U.S., but at a young age left with her parents to live in Mexico. She returned to California at age 14, but soon dropped out of high school, got married and had her first child by age 17.
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A product of adult school programs, Esther Lomelia now teaches at the Ford Park Adult School in Montebello.
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At age 27, she wondered what she had missed. "I thought, 'I'm so young. This can't be it.' So I decided to go back to school."
She enrolled in an adult education program run by the Montebello Unified School District. After brushing up on her English and grammar, she took basic high school subjects. Within two years, she had her high school diploma.
She then enrolled at Rio Hondo Community College, eventually transferring to the University of La Verne in Los Angeles, where she received her bachelor's degree. After receiving her teaching credential, she began teaching adult education in 1995.
"If not for that second chance, I don't know what I'd be doing," says Lomeli. "It helped me so much. It opened my eyes and opened doors. I was so young when I dropped out of high school, got married and had children. I was a baby having babies. I still can't believe I have a bachelor's degree. I have to pinch myself."
Today the Montebello Teachers Association member teaches ESL and citizenship classes at Ford Park Adult School in Montebello. There was no other choice but to teach adults. "I wanted to help people and give back what was given to me," she says.
"My students are an inspiration," she says. "They want to learn all about the basics of government and history. Once they start learning, they want to learn more. They go to the library and check out books about presidents. They want to participate in the voting system. They want to be American. Sometimes, even when they are full-blown citizens, they come back to class because they want to learn more."
Many of her students say they were surprised to learn they had the opportunity to enroll in adult education classes, since such programs don't exist in their native countries.
"In many countries, people don't get a second chance. They tell me they are very glad to be here. And I know how they feel, because I am very glad to be here, too."
