Goodwill Excel Center opens in Aurora for Colorado adults to earn high school diplomas
When you think of Goodwill, you likely think of the second-hand thrift store. Well now, the resale shop is also giving Coloradans a second chance at their education. It's called the Goodwill Excel Center – a so-called "adult high school" – and it just opened for classes this week in Aurora.
Among those enrolled, is 42-year-old Mary Garcia of Denver. Like her classmates, she didn't finish high school and never believed she'd get another shot.
"It's very embarrassing to me, you know?" Garcia told CBS Colorado's Kelly Werthmann.
And Garcia is certainly not alone.
"The state of Colorado has over 300,000 people over the age of 21 who do not have a high school diploma," explained Karla Grazier, CEO & President of Goodwill of Colorado. "We wanted to build a school that would attract those people."
That school is the Excel Center, Colorado's first tuition-free, in-person adult learning school allowing older students to earn their high school diploma. It's a program with five 8-week sessions per year, designed for Colorado residents aged 22 and older who never graduated. The program also breaks down barriers that may have prevented many students from finishing high school.
"We offer free bus passes for them to get to the school, we have free daycare…and there's no tuition," said David Bechtold, Director of the Excel Center. "Everything – education and training – is free."
More than a high school diploma, students can also earn dual college credits and industry-recognized certifications. Bechtold said adults from all around the metro area are already enrolled in the program, and that is only adding to Garcia's motivation to finish what she started decades ago.
"We're alike in a lot of ways," Garcia said of her classmates. "We all want to be achievers. I just get the chills thinking about what I'll become when I have my high school diploma."
It's turning her embarrassment into excitement, she said, even encouragement.
"I come from a very low place," said Garcia. "If I can do it, anyone could do it."
Enrollment is open at the Excel Center in Aurora, and there are already plans in the works to open a second location in southeast Colorado. For more information on the program, visit https://excelcentercolorado.org/.