COVID-19 Update
In response to COVID-19, NDEC has shifted to a virtual learning platform to keep our students safe, engaged, and on track for success.  

Faces of NDEC

Few people have anything good to say about the Great Covid Lockdown of 2020.  But NDEC student Margarete Silva does:  “I finally had time to spend on myself.”

Margarete came to the United States from Brazil, looking for a better life for her and her son.  “At that time (2002), Brazil was in a very difficult economy.  I couldn’t get any work.  I had been thinking about America, and fortunately a friend sponsored me so I could come here.”

The first order of business in America was to find a job.  Like millions of parents, Margarete put her dreams on hold, cleaning houses and office buildings and working in retail until her son was established in his career.  All the while she dreamed of earning a college degree.

Last year, Margarete’s working hours were slashed because of Covid.  She used her newfound time to research HiSET programs, and an online search led her to NDEC.  Margarete enrolled last summer and quickly passed the reading portion of the HiSET with a score of 17 out of 20.  She had similar success with writing and social studies.  Two tests  – in science and math – remain.  “Math is a big concern for me,” she admits.  “I’ve been studying with Leslie [Feeney, Adult and Youth Education Programs Manager] and using YouTube videos for some of the concepts, so hopefully I’ll do well.” She’d like to earn a college degree in cybersecurity.

Margarete admits she was “afraid of HiSET” at first, because of her lack of a high school background.  “But Leslie said we have the skills to succeed.  The biggest thing I learned at NDEC  is that I can start from anywhere.”