TIFTON—Thanks to a five-year $2.4 million grant (HEP S141A210021) funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Migrant Education, the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will continue its legacy of assisting farmworkers reach their academic goals for the 21st consecutive year.
Scott Pierce, Director of Sponsored Programs at ABAC, said the ABAC program is one of only two such programs in the state of Georgia that provide much-needed services to the agricultural workforce.
“We just received word this project would be funded again, and we are very excited,” said Pierce. “HEP is ABAC’s largest grant at $475,000 a year. This money helps support the students, the instructional staff, the educational resources, and a small project team to organize everything. The fact that this grant has been funded for 20 years is a real testament to our fantastic team.”
Since 2001, HEP has served over 1,400 students from Georgia and neighboring states. The program assists 70 agricultural workers and their dependents each year in receiving a high school equivalency diploma and subsequently finding better employment, enrolling in an institution of higher education, or enlisting in the military.
Through the years, the program has produced many professionals and entrepreneurs including individuals such as Dr. Remigio Padilla-Hernandez, 2004-2005 HEP Cohort, an Assistant Professor and Director of Mathematics in the Department of Education at Thomas University in Thomasville. He credits the program and obtaining his General Educational Development (GED) diploma as the foundation onto which he has built his professional career.
“The fact that HEP is housed at ABAC is a significant factor in inspiring GED graduates to pursue their college careers,” Padilla-Hernandez said. “Taking classes on a college campus allows HEP students to envision what it would be like to attend college. It inspired me to pursue my education after earning my GED.”
Esthela Lopez, an alumna from the first cohort and current HEP Associate Director, states, “the program has opened the doors to new possibilities for many individuals, including myself, who were not able to finish high school. This opportunity is a second chance to have a brighter future for these people and their families.
“Receiving the news that we got funded for five more years was the icing on the cake to continue with our twentieth anniversary celebration. We couldn’t ask for a better gift than the opportunity to continue serving our farmworker community.”
For more information on becoming a part of HEP, interested persons should contact Lopez at elopez@abac.edu or call 229-391-4880.
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