Benito Ruiz Torres dropped out of school after the third grade.

It was impossible to continue his education while working 12-hour shifts picking tomatoes in Colima, Mexico.

But the 50-year-old Redmond resident recently graduated with his General Educational Development diploma, thanks to the Central Oregon High School Equivalency Program designed for migrant farmworkers and their families to open doors to higher education.

Started in 2019 at Central Oregon Community College in Redmond, the GED program aims to remove barriers for migrant farm workers, said Anton Gonzalez-Jennings, regional director of the program.

“I think that this program, or these kinds of programs, encourage (students) to believe in themselves regarding the opportunities that they might find out there,” Gonzalez-Jennings said. “It builds self confidence.”

Unlike other GED programs, classes are taught in Spanish — which 90% of the students speak — by bilingual teachers. The program gives students stipends including gas and grocery gift cards to make attending class accessible. So far, 50 students have graduated with their GED diplomas.

“(An important part) is that we also provide a lot of information and connect them with the right resources and financial aid and other areas,” Gonzalez-Jennings said. “Not only at COCC, but with the other colleges or institutions.”

New opportunities

Like many of the students, Torres moved to the U.S. as a teenager in search of a better life. He started a family and worked various jobs in manual labor. During his senior year, Torres’ youngest son said he wasn’t planning to graduate high school.

“I told my son, ‘hey, I’m gonna go try to get my GED, and I’m gonna show you, if you’re not gonna get a GED, I’m gonna show you I can get it,’” Torres said. “He’s like, ‘OK, we’ll see Dad.’”

To be admitted to the program, Torres needed to pass an entrance exam. With only a third-grade education, others told him he couldn’t do it. Instead, he passed with flying colors on the first try.

“It was amazing,” Torres said. “Like I said, I never went to the school, and all this, it was new for me,” Torres said.

The tuition-free program is designed for those like Torres who have jobs and families, according to Gonzalez-Jennings. Classes are four days per week in the evening and students are also given stipends for books, calculators, laptops, transportation and GED tests. The program is funded through federal grants and was recently awarded $2.2 million to continue its mission.

“My favorite parts of the program are … how they overcome all these difficulties of being an adult and having families and having a job, sometimes two jobs, and still make the effort and have the discipline to come to class and study and try time and time again,” Gonzalez-Jennings said.

When Torres passed the GED exams for social studies and science, his son changed his mind about graduating high school.

“I say, you know, I already passed the test,” Torres said. “He’s like, ‘you know what? I’m gonna get it…then he did it. He graduated this year, too.”

Now, Torres, who currently works in Bend building campers, will be continuing his education in the fall to study dental assisting.

“My favorite part is learning,” Torres said. “They give you a lot of support over here. Even if you don’t eat at your house, they always provide (meals), also snacks…there’s no excuses there.”

Opportunities for immigrants

Many students decide to continue their education after graduating from the program, including recent graduate Jeisis Abigail Mejia Gonzalez, 30, of Madras.

Growing up in El Salvador, Mejia Gonzalez dreamed of success in her academics and career. She lived with her grandmother and began work selling coconuts on the street at age 6.

“All of my life, I try to be a good student, because obviously when you are a child, you had a lot of dreams for the future,” Mejia Gonzalez said.

Just two years ago, Mejia Gonzalez moved to the U.S. to escape the economical crisis in El Salvador. She came to Oregon and began working two jobs, one as a housekeeper at a motel and another as a line cook at a restaurant.

On top of work, she began the GED program and loved the community she found. Now, Mejia Gonzalez works as an office assistant for the Latino Community Association, helping connect others in the community with resources.

“I had to improve my English, and I had to prove my computer skills,” Mejia Gonzalez said. “(Others) think that because I’m an immigrant, I don’t have opportunities…it is not true.”

As an immigrant in Oregon, Mejia Gonzalez feels she’s had many opportunities and plans to study computer science for the next two years before transferring to a four-year college.