UNMG's ABE/GED Students Complete Transitions to College Program

For Release July 8, 2009

Students in UNM-Gallup’s ABE/GED program recently celebrated their completion of a pilot project designed to enhance their chances of being hired in the health careers field. The students, who were honored at a luncheon at the college on June 30, were involved in one of only two so-called Adult Basic Education Transitions to College programs in the state.

Participating students had to be enrolled in the GED program – a program that helps students earn the equivalent of a high school degree – with goals of working in the health careers field.

“We applied early this year,” said Karessa Silversmith, ABE project manager, “and received word on our selection by the New Mexico Higher Education Department and New Mexico Business Roundtable for Educational Excellence in early February. Classes for the 12-week program began in the second eight weeks of the spring semester. After classes ended, the students worked with me and New Mexico Workforce Solutions to create portfolios and strengthen their job-seeking soft skills.”

The 20 students who enrolled in the program were required to take at least five credits within three college classes designed as part of the project.

Toward the end of the project, the students also participated in an education symposium at the Navajo Nation Museum. The symposium was sponsored as a field trip through a partnership between the Gallup Indian Medical Center and the Fort Defiance Indian Hospital.

The UNM-Gallup students are believed to be the first Native American cohort to complete a transitions project of this sort nationwide. Data has been collected to replicate the project's successes and to improve on the challenges and will also be presented at the Governor's Summit later this year.