Yolanda Acosta

Baldwin Park Adult & Community Education

Mrs. Yolanda Acosta, a secretary at Baldwin Park Adult and Community Education Counseling Office, is a person who accomplished life goals through her attendance and involvement with the Baldwin Park Adult School.

Yolanda came to the United States from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico with her husband and one year old daughter in 1974. In 1982, she started taking ESL classes and in two years had earned her GED. Yolanda studied for and passed the citizenship exam in 1993 and was sworn in as a U.S. citizen in 1994.

After receiving her GED, Yolanda began working at Baldwin Park Adult School in food services while continuing to take business courses. She also took classes at the local community college to improve her writing and English, and progressed to working as a clerk in the adult school’s counseling office. During this time, Yolanda also worked in the school’s immigration program helping to administer citizenship tests.

Yolanda continued improving her skills and moving up the employment ladder advancing to Secretary I in the adult school counseling office, and then receiving her Vocational Teaching credential in business occupations. She currently works full time in the counseling office at Baldwin Park Adult and Community Education and also teaches Introduction to Computers while continuing to take classes at Rio Hondo College toward an Associates of Arts degree in Business.

Throughout her twenty years at the school, Yolanda has done extensive volunteer work. She volunteered to work on weekends with the Computer Skills and Business Lab classes. In the past, Yolanda has also volunteered to help distribute school fliers at community functions.

Yolanda has been a source of support and encouragement for her children. Yolanda and her husband have five grown children. The four oldest children have college degrees and successful careers, the youngest, still in junior high school, hopes to become an architect.

Yolanda has always been a source of support and inspiration to her family and to the staff and students at Baldwin Park Adult School.