Articles - Summer 2009 - return to index
 |
| Barbara Radillo - “Lane has been the best place for me.” |
Path Takes Student From Parenting, to College, to Career
-By Chris Cunningham
“I never in my dreams thought I would go to college,” admits 35-year-old Barbara Radillo, a married mother of two.
But ever since she and her parents moved from Michoacan, Mexico to Lake Chelan, Washington in 1990, Radillo pushed ahead with a can-do attitude.
She had a 6th grade education and spoke no English when she entered the sophomore class at a local high school. But English as a Second Language classes combined with the standard curricula helped her graduate a year and a half later with basic language and math skills.
She went on to raise children, move to Eugene, and find work in a wood products manufacturing company.
She worked her way up to supervisor, and her job seemed secure until the company began outsourcing. Then came the layoffs.
The company’s human resource staff encouraged Radillo to consider Lane’s Career Pathways program. This low-cost program helps students advance to a higher educational level or prepare for employment in a given occupational sector.
“It was either find another job or go to school,” Radillo says.
She started at Lane by enrolling in Adult Basic and Secondary Education classes to sharpen her reading, writing, and math skills.
She says ABSE instructor Mary Foust gave her extra support and time.
“She helped me to understand what I was reading.” More important, “She believed in me.”
“Any older student needs a little more support,” Radillo says.
Barbara is completing her general education requirements and prerequisites for the Medical Office Assistant program. This summer she expects to hear if she has been accepted.
