The day she earned her high school diploma through the General Educational Development (GED) program at Northeast Community College was one of the happiest in Maria Garcia-Aldrich’s life.
“It was a really good moment for me,” she said. “I did cry. The work was hard, but I did it.”
Maria was 16 when she got pregnant with her daughter and dropped out of school.
“I had to provide for her and didn’t have support from family,” she explained. “I had to figure it out myself.”
Maria worked on her GED twice without success. But the third time she had encouragement from her boyfriend.
“He’s the one that pushed me,” she said, “Really, he was my biggest motivator. I was not working as much and was able to focus on the GED.”
Maria is from Sioux City and worked on her GED at the Northeast Extended Campus in South Sioux City. Maria worked with Adult Education Specialist Melissa Kebaili.
“Melissa gave me all the tools I needed,” Maria said. “She recommended YouTube people who focused on the GED. She gave me books to go over. I was at home and I studied, studied, studied.”
Four months later, Maria completed the four required tests to earn her GED.
“I would say the hardest test I took was probably math,” Maria said.
Melissa helped there, too, showing Maria how to use a calculator that is allowed during the math test.
Maria’s daughter, Sofia, will be 8 in August.
“We went to the graduation when I earned my GED,” Maria said, “and I had to explain to her that this is what happens when you graduate from high school. She was happy for me.”
Maria also has three siblings. Her older sister has a high school diploma, but not the younger two. “I wanted to show my younger siblings it’s not too late,” she said.
Earning that GED opened career doors for Maria. She has worked as a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) since she was 19.
“I work with people who have brain injuries and I’ve been there almost six years,” she said. “They have other classes you can take to get certified and make more money. I always wanted to do that, but you need a diploma or GED, which I didn’t have, so it kind of stopped me.”
After earning her GED, Marie was also able to work at North Middle School in Sioux City this year.
“That’s something I enjoyed,” she said. “It just felt good working for Sioux City Community Schools.”
Maria is also back in school, working toward becoming a registered nurse.
“I’m currently working on my generals at WIT (Western Iowa Tech Community College),” she explained. “Then I’m supposed to transfer to St. Luke’s College in the fall.”
It will take Maria two years at St. Luke’s to earn her RN degree.
“Once I am an RN,” Maria continued. “I want to work in the labor and delivery unit.
“I always liked helping people,” Maria said. “And I always dreamed of going to school for nursing but I didn’t have my high school diploma or a GED. I didn’t have many options not having my GED. It changed my life and opened a lot of doors for me. I’m glad I did it, and I’m happy to be where I’m at today. Thanks to Melissa and Northeast for that.”
The Adult Education Program at Northeast offers instruction in basic skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics; preparation and testing for a GED; English language learning instruction; and integrated education and training.
The program is free to anyone 16 years of age or older who is not enrolled in a secondary school.
For more information on the Northeast Adult Education Program, visit the website https://northeast.edu/continuing-ed-workforce/adult-education, email adulteducation@northeast.edu, or call 402-844-7255 (Norfolk) or 402-241-6415 (South Sioux City).
Please Note: This article is part of a series of features dedicated to sharing the significant success of students through Northeast Community College’s federally-funded TRiO Student Support Services (SSS) program, a program that is currently facing elimination in President Trump’s proposed FY 2026 budget.
A program for low-income, first-generation students and individuals with disabilities, Northeast’s TRiO SSS program stands as one of the most successful in the nation, boasting a 98% fall-to-fall persistence rate. In addition, 88% of Northeast TRiO SSS students graduate, compared to the national average of 39% for all community college students. Additionally, 98% of Northeast’s TRiO students maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher.
Members of the public are asked to consider contacting their Congressional offices to voice their concerns about cuts or elimination of important higher education programs such as TRiO and Pell grants.
To view all the stories, graphics and photos in this series, please click here to be linked to the Northeast website. https://northeast.edu/giving/feature-stories
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