Description: Intro music with video showing Delphino teaching in the adult school. Delphino wears a business suit and is interviewed in the classroom.

Narrator:  Delphino Rodriguez spoke no English when he came to this country. He found adult education to be the path to better employment and lifelong learning. Delphino now teaches both children and adult learners.

Delphino:  It was pretty hard because I had to come and went to work on a farm in Santa Maria, picking up strawberries. I worked in the fields for a few months and then I moved to the city and I was doing different jobs as a waiter, busboy, dishwasher, all of that, and finally I decided to go to school, or to come back to school in 1999. Because I saw that it was not possible for me to go beyond a certain level of salary.

Description: Sue Daniels is an older teacher wearing a dark business suit and pearl necklace. Jan Brittain wears a red jacket and dark blouse. She smiles as she speaks about Delphino.

Sue Daniels, Retired Instructor: Delphino came to my I I lab at Adams at night, and he was already fluent in English. He took the GED in Spanish, passed it, way above 90 percent.

Delphino: I went back to adult school. I took different classes and then finally I took the GED in Spanish.

Jan Brittain, Retired Principal: When he came here, he just knew he was going to make it and did everything he could. He didn’t sit back and wait; he took risks and made it happen. He knew he had to get an education; he knew he had to adapt. I mean, that was his motive for coming, was to progress as a person.

Narrator: Delphino earned his AA degree and then went on to earn his BA degree in Early Childhood Education while working as a preschool teacher.

Description: Both diplomas are pictured. A shot of Venice Adult School is shown. Delphino is shown teaching his class in the computer lab at the adult school while students take notes.

Vivian: Well, I have two jobs. I have the day job at the Dakota Early Education Center. I work with the preschoolers. And I work at the adult school also here at Venice. I teach computer applications and also the GED in Spanish.  But I’ve taught English. I’ve taught the GED in English. I’ve taught different subjects. Yeah, I’m a jack-of-all-trades in regards to education. Basically, that’s what I’m doing right now.

Description: Deplphino smiles as he speaks about adult education.

Delphino: Adult ed has that welcoming atmosphere that makes students not to be afraid. Many times you come in and you are afraid of even learning because you might not have been successful in your own country with learning. Maybe you were like the dumbest kid on the block. So you come in here already with those fears. When you enter a classroom and you see people working and helping and you see the teacher with a big smile in front of you, that’s really encouraging.