The Summit County Library auditorium was filled with families finding seats and setting up cameras and video cameras while graduates in gray caps and gowns sat in a row at the front of the room.
Dan Compton, director of the Summit County Library, and GED instructor Beatriz Muñoz sat by the podium as Daisy Hodson, the multicultural services librarian, tapped on the microphone and instructed attendees to take a seat while the “Yo Puedo” (“I Can”)program graduation ceremony began.
The “Yo Puedo” program is part of multicultural services at the Summit County Library for residents of Park City who want to earn their General Educational Development (GED) certificate. Thirteen graduates stood at the front of the room having earned their GEDs after taking classes at the library with Muñoz.
“We have had so much support for this program, and it would not have been possible without Juan Tomas Lee from the Utah State Library,” Hodson said. “I would also like to thank Dan Compton, because he is a very supportive boss who listened to me about this crazy program and let me run with it.”
Hodson then thanked the friends and families of the graduates for supporting them and making sacrifices for their loved ones. She announced that Compton and Paola Piña, one of the graduates, would speak and then the awarding of the certificates would begin.
After the national anthem was sung, Compton approached the podium and thanked Hodson for her efforts, which made the “Yo Puedo” program possible. He also thanked Muñoz for teaching the classes and Jorge Ruiz, a tutor who helped the graduates from time to time.
The GED certificate is obtained after passing the test, which includes the subjects of language arts, reading and writing, social studies, science and mathematics. Compton congratulated the graduates for having completed the courses and taken the test, because he said it will open many doors for them which would have been shut otherwise.
“While most of you were going to dinner and movie on Friday nights, this group was studying here in the library,” Compton said. “I was so impressed with their determination and enthusiasm.”
He told the graduates that they were “pioneers” in their families, and whether they knew it or not, they were having a positive impact on their children by showing them the importance and value they place on education by going back to it to receive their GED.
“Success can be very addicting, but it is also very enjoyable to watch someone achieve their goals,” Compton said. “You have motivated me to work harder in my own life.”
He then asked Piña to step up to the podium to speak and represent her graduating class.
“On the first day, we looked like kindergarteners: scared, enthusiastic and nervous,” Piña said. “Now, we look exactly the same.”
The crowd laughed as Piña continued, thanking Muñoz, Hodson, Compton and the Summit County Library for “having faith in Hispanic people.”
“They made us feel like we deserved more and gave us the confidence to believe that we could do it,” Piña said. “Today, here we are, with those who never gave up on us, so let us remember to ‘never say never.'”
Muñoz stood by the podium as Hodson began to announce the graduates and invited their families to walk up and receive their GED certificates, because “it is also a family sacrifice to get these graduates up here.”
When the thirteen graduates had all received their certificates, they gathered at the front of the podium to take a group picture and tossed their caps up in the air in celebration amidst a standing ovation.
For more information on the “Yo Puedo” program and how to become a student, contact Hodson at the Summit County Library at 435-615-3948.