Tohono O’odham Community College’s Pre-College Program Graduates Three GED Students in 2022 and Launches Pre-College GED FAST TRACK Option in 2023

Apr 10, 2023 | Blog, Indigenous Adult Education, Our Programs

By Anselmo Ramon

Tohono O’odham Community College graduated three new Tohono O’odham Nation citizens from its GED program in 2022. Two of these students are Alisa Orduno from the San Pedro Community and Angela Francisco from Little Tucson.

Alisa needed to complete her math and science exam to obtain her general education diploma (GED). She far exceeded the minimum scores and is “college ready.” She plans to pursue her education in the field of information technology. She has been looking at attending Tohono O’odham Community College (TOCC) and Pima Community College in Tucson.

Angela passed her math exam with a high score to obtain her GED. She was employed as a home health care provider while enrolled in the program at TOCC. Angela is still currently employed, and is enrolled at TOCC where she is pursuing a pre-nursing degree.

Alisa Orduno

Angela Francisco

Angela Francisco

Both students showed dedication to their studies with Mrs. Linda Gates, TOCC’s Pre-College GED math tutor. Linda has developed a simple yet effective plan that has worked in preparing students for the rigorous math exam. It incorporates relationship and requires learning outside tutoring sessions, learning software, and learning logs.

Individualized support strategies are often the necessary step to get students to where they want to be. At the start of 2023, TOCC also implemented a Pre-College GED FAST TRACK Option, which some students are taking advantage of.

Tom Moreno

Tom Moreno

This option allows anyone who clearly believes they have the ability to pass the GED exam to be pre-tested in math to determine if they have the skills necessary to complete the exam without having to attend a GED program. Currently Myla Manuel and Tom Moreno, TOCC students, are enrolled in the Pre-College GED Fast Track program. Myla is planning to continue her employment once she completes her Pre-College GED program. Tom’s goal is to become a medical doctor and he plans to enroll in TOCC’s pre-nursing program once he completes his FAST TRACK Program. The FAST TRACK timeline is for students to complete the GED Exams within six months or less.

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