Alex Avila is a recent high school graduate who began a new chapter in life this fall as a student at Laredo Community College.
Brenda Perez is a single mother who—at age 40—entered college more than 20 years after graduating from high school.
Although Avila and Perez took different pathways to get into college, they share a common thread at LCC.
Avila and Perez credit the college’s developmental courses for helping them overcome learning obstacles to become champions in their educational endeavors at LCC.
WRITING A NEW CHAPTER
A
May 2006 high school graduate, Avila entered LCC this fall with the goal of
pursuing a career in engineering.
However, after taking an exam that assessed his academic skills, Avila learned that he would have to begin his venture as a college student by enrolling in developmental coursework for math, reading and writing.
“I knew I was going to need help with my writing skills. But I was surprised to learn that I needed help in reading and math, too,” Avila said.
To help develop his writing skills, Avila enrolled in a “combination” course that is allowing him to save time and money by completing two sections of developmental writing in one semester.
The 18-year-old admits he entered the writing class with a negative attitude, based on his past experiences with the subject matter.
“I didn’t like writing,” Avila said. “I would always get bad grades in high school, even when I made an extra effort.”
But after just a few weeks in the developmental writing class, Avila developed a new perspective on writing.
“I’ve been able to improve my writing skills, thanks to the instructor and the skills I’ve learned in class. Now I’m writing essays and earning 90s in my class work,” Avila said.
Avila’s writing instructor, Nydia Garcia-Peña, has noticed a dramatic improvement in Avila’s approach to writing.
“At first, Alex was quiet in class…he wouldn’t even smile,” Garcia-Peña noted. “But now he’s a different student, earning good grades. Every class day he is gaining a better understanding of the process of putting an essay together.”
Avila also has a different view on his developmental reading and math courses, which he originally thought were a “waste of my time.”
“I’m glad I enrolled in the developmental math and reading courses,” Avila said. “The courses have served as a valuable refresher to prepare me for the challenges of college.”
Avila looks forward to enrolling in college-level coursework next spring.
STARTING OVER
Perez,
too, decided to enroll in college immediately after graduating in high school in
1977.
But during her first semester at LCC, she decided to drop out of college “for all the wrong reasons.”
“At the time, I felt that I didn’t need a college education. It just seemed better to find a job and start earning money,” Perez said.
Perez’s father, however, always reminded her about how a college education was necessary to further her life.
The advice Perez received from her father soon started to make sense to her.
“After dropping out of college, I began working. But over the years, I just got to earning slightly over the minimum wage. I soon realized that I was going nowhere in life, while others with college degrees were moving ahead. And it was all because I didn’t have that piece of paper.”
In 1998, at the age of 40, Perez decided to go back to college.
Perez had some concerns about entering college.
“Besides worrying about what it would be like to be in a classroom with young students, I was worried about whether or not I would be able to handle the demands of a college education,” Perez said.
An assessment of her academic skills showed that she would need to take developmental courses in English and math.
At first, Perez said she was disappointed about having to enroll in developmental courses.
But Perez, just as Avila, had a change of heart.
“I am so grateful to the college for the direction I received to earn a college degree,” Perez said. “I’m glad I took the developmental courses because they helped me achieve my goal of earning a college degree and have guided me to where I am today.”
In 2001, Perez earned an associate’s degree in network administration and soon after found employment with better salaries.
Today, Perez is a research assistant at LCC in the department of institutional effectiveness-research and planning.
“All the career changes I have experienced after receiving my college degree have come with more pay,” Perez said. “And none of my accomplishments would have been possible if it was not for the developmental studies that prepared me to succeed in college.”
Perez said she will encourage her 16-year-old son to enroll in college after graduating from high school. She will offer plenty of encouragement to her son if he has to take developmental courses, too. And, she looks forward to a brighter future as she continues to take more classes to advance her college education.
“You can’t look at developmental courses as a detriment to getting a college degree. These classes are actually a step to help you cross over an educational gap and get on the other side to a better life for yourself and your family,” Perez said.
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