Nancy Ledesma-Jaime

Woodland Adult Education

Nancy Ledesma-Jaime moved to the United States from Mexico at age 5. Her family life was often unstable. She started working odd jobs at age 10 to help support herself. Nancy dropped out of high school in 10th grade because she needed to work full time. Education was not a priority in her family. Nancy became a parent at age 17. After working many different jobs Nancy started to realize that education was a must to become successful. She started attending Woodland Adult Education in the fall of 1999. Our program worked for her because of its flexibility and complimentary on-site childcare. The teachers always made time for Nancy and would often meet with her at their homes. Nancy states that without this support she would not have been able to attend school. She needed 140 credits to graduate. She completed those units by June of 2000 and became a high school graduate.

Nancy then attended MTI Business College and received her degree as a paralegal. Nancy is currently employed by Woodland Joint Unified School District as a paraprofessional for Community Day School. This school is designed for high-risk junior high school students. Many of these students have been expelled from the traditional junior high school. Nancy loves her job. She enjoys working with these students as she feels she can relate to them. Looking back on her own childhood she remembers the people who listened to and supported her. She feels it is her duty to help these students.