Each year, Oregon State University's federally funded High School Equivalency Program serves a total of 38 students from migrant or seasonal farm working backgrounds, providing individuals from these traditionally-marginalized communities the opportunity to obtain their GED and attend college. There are two main objectives that OSU HEP must meet, according to guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Education. The first is that 69 percent of students graduate from the program, and the second is that 80 percent of those graduated students transition into post-secondary education, job training or military enlistment. OSU's full-time HEP instructor, Marcelo Peralta, a teacher beloved by his students for his dedication, said that OSU's HEP graduated around 77 percent of their students last year. Peralta has worked for OSU HEP for a year and a half. However, he has about twenty years of teaching experience combined, working in the public education system and at Chemeketa Community College. Originally from Argentina, Peralta came to the United States 22 years ago with his wife and children. He obtained his master's in education in the U.S. and specializes in science, mathematics, reading and writing. In addition to teaching HEP classes at OSU, he currently teaches night classes at Chemeketa. As a bilingual teacher, Peralta teaches HEP classes in both English and Spanish. Classes start at 8 a.m. and conclude around 8:30 p.m. each day. Although it is a 10 week program, Peralta says some students have passed their exams and graduated in six weeks.
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- 'Opening a window' to education
- The Daily Barometer (Institution)
- The Daily Barometer
- National HEPCAMP Archive; HEPCAMP Press
- 99901366796801842
- English
- Newspaper article