Poway Adult School changes lives of three graduates

For 150 adults, Aug. 3 was the culmination of years of hard work as they walked across the stage to receive their high school diploma or high school equivalency at the Poway Adult School graduation ceremony.

The graduates were mostly adults returning for their diplomas or high school equivalency (HSE, what was formerly known as a general education development test or GED), along with about 15 high school students attending summer school through the Poway Adult School in order to graduate, said Nga Cunningham, a counseling assistant at the adult school.

For Nahoku Harvest, earning her HSE was an achievement in the making since she dropped out of high school as a sophomore in 2001.

“I’m thrilled,” said Harvest. “It means the world to me to be able to complete it. I was devastated for years, thinking I wasn’t good enough.”

Harvest, who was born and raised in Hawaii before moving to San Diego in 2010, said she dropped out after being heavily bullied at four different high schools for being transgender. “My parents would go to school to talk (to the administration), but no one would help without evidence,” said Harvest. “I was transitioning at a time when there wasn’t a lot of support.”

She said she provides that support herself now, mentoring transgender youth and working with the San Diego youth foster mentoring program.

Harvest said her parents, after exhausting attempts to stop the bullying, encouraged her to drop out of school for the sake of her own happiness.

She said she tried six times to go back and finish her high school education through various programs, but never found the support she needed until the Poway Adult School. “I was really inspired by the atmosphere of the Poway Adult School,” said Harvest. “The individualized, specialized attention was what I needed. My instructors here got me excited about education again. I’ve been missing that feeling for a long time.”

Now, with her HSE complete, Harvest said she plans to attend community college in the fall to earn her high school diploma, then continue on with her education working toward a bachelor’s degree.

For RJ Enriquez, completing his high school diploma not only means a better future for himself, but for his young son as well.

Enriquez said he initially left high school after moving around a lot as a teen made it difficult to complete. Later plans to finish up his degree were derailed when he became a father at 21.

“I really wanted to finish my high school diploma, but it was hard as a young parent,” he said.

Enriquez said that after working full-time for many years, he decided it was time to finally finish his education.

He previously tried to finish his diploma at another school in El Cajon, but didn’t find the support he needed. “The school wasn’t encouraging,” he said. “The Poway Adult School was very encouraging. It was a lot of fun and the teachers were awesome.”

Enriquez said it took him about three or four years to finish up his diploma between work and parenting. He is considering continuing his education in college, possibly getting a bachelor’s degree in e-marketing.

“It feels great to be getting my diploma,” said Enriquez. “It’s just one more step in my life, I feel really good.”

His son, now 10, is very proud of him, Enriquez said.

The graduating class’s student speaker was Jason Towner, a former Poway High School student who finally earned his diploma after a rocky educational road.

Towner, who works in an auction house in San Diego, said he finished up his diploma after more than a decade so he could advance further in his career.

He was a junior at Poway High in 2004 when he was expelled, Towner said. After being expelled from another high school in the district, he was sent to Abraxas High School. But by then, Towner said, he’d stopped caring about his education.

“My senior year, I fell out with my family and had to leave home,” he said. Towner dropped out of school and started working, staying with friends and at his father’s house in Los Angeles before coming back to San Diego to work at the auction house. He’s worked there for over a decade now, Towner said.

Now, he can go even further in his career with his diploma, Towner said.

“I always wanted to finish. It was important to me to feel equal to everyone else,” he said. He plans to continue his education and earn a bachelor’s degree in business management. He will start college in January.

Towner said he was nervous about speaking at the ceremony, but as he wants to be a motivational speaker in his free time, it would be a step to working toward that goal as well.

“I’m extremely satisfied and happy,” said Towner.