Many high school students yearn for the day they receive their diploma and feel a new chapter of their lives begin - one of excitement, dedication, and opportunity.
Adrian Aparicio Torres never believed he would ever reach that graduation date, doing the bare minimum and being in an academic environment that was not a fit for him. After working side jobs as a mechanic since he was 12 years old, Adrian knew he had the work ethic to complete high school, but he didn’t have the tools he needed for success.
The first step in Adrian’s journey to graduation was to make a change of scenery and begin attending Riverside County Office of Education’s Betty G. Gibbel Regional Learning Center (BGRLC), where he felt a switch in his demeanor.
“My environment was a lot worse before, and I was going through a lot,” Adrian said. “After going to school here, I felt my mental and physical health completely change.”
Adrian credits many of his successes to his teachers at BGRLC, helping him pave his own pathway to success.
“Ms. G. really helped me with my writing, correcting my essays, and pushing me to write outside my comfort zone and use it as a sort of self-expression.,” Adrian said. “I wouldn’t be focused on anything if I didn’t go to school here, and I would not be the same person I am today without her.”
At BGRLC, Lisa Gonzalez or “Ms. G.”, helps students in her classroom stay on top of their writing assignments and offers insightful expression to each of her students to uphold their full potential.
“I’m so proud of Adrian’s accomplishments this year,” Lisa said. “He has created his own business to help support himself and his family, maintained a 3.0 grade-point average, and has overcome unexpected challenges and persevered. It has been an honor to be part of Adrian’s educational journey, and to see him grow into a strong young adult, finding the ingenuity and resolution to successfully move forward in life.”
Besides going to school, Adrian also likes to read nonfiction, skateboard, and helps his uncle at contracting jobs in his spare time. Reflecting on his own goals of becoming a contractor in the future, Adrian believes there are a few key elements in each contracting job, some similar to how he also changed his own environment for the better.
“Making the environment around the house feel good is key,” Adrian said. "I want to build homes in communities and make sure everything around it has trees and things to make it feel nice.”
Adrian’s own mindset shift led to the opportunity to walk across the stage at the Riverside County Office of Education graduation ceremony at Elsinore Storm Stadium, on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. He received his diploma which he said he will proudly hang up on his wall back at home as a token of his achievement and reminder of the changes in his life he made to prosper.