HEP renewed with $2.3 million grant

The High School Equivalency Program (HEP) at the University of North Georgia (UNG) hit two record-breaking figures this summer.

The U.S. Department of Education renewed the program's five-year grant totaling more than $2.3 million, which is nearly 60% more than the previous grant. In addition, 34 HEP students earned their General Educational Development (GED) certificate to mark the largest graduating class since the program began in fall 2016 at UNG.

HEP is tailored to help migrant and seasonal farmworkers and members of their immediate family who do not have a GED. Since its launch at UNG, close to 100 people have received their GEDs.

"I was excited and relieved because this is a significant increase," Christian Bello Escobar, director of HEP and College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) and director of Migrant Programs and Services, said.

Bello Escobar, who wrote the grant, said UNG competed with other HEP programs for funding.

"Only 16 existing programs were renewed. Two lost their funding and programs," Bello Escobar said. "So these programs are getting more competitive."

UNG's increase in funding signifies its success and allows it to broaden its reach. For the past five years, the HEP program has served students on the Gainesville Campus. For the next five academic years, it will reach 70 students on UNG's Blue Ridge, Gainesville and Oconee campuses as well as online.

Bello Escobar explained the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a transition to an online platform in spring 2020. Based on its success, the HEP staff continued it.

"Going virtual has opened up times for us to offer classes and enabled us to cast a wider net for participants," Bello Escobar said.

Maria Alejo and Lucille Segovia benefitted from the online flexibility this past academic year. They were among the 34 HEP students who participated in the graduation ceremony June 26 at the Robinson Ballroom inside the Student Center on the Gainesville Campus.

"I am happy to graduate," Alejo, a mother of four children, said. "It is a dream come true. HEP came into my life at the right time. I like to see my children sharing this achievement with me and motivating me."

Segovia said the HEP program opened new opportunities for her.

"Getting involved as a student motivated me to such a degree that I took classes at UNG through the Office of Professional and Continuing Education," Segovia said. "I achieved a master bookkeeper certificate and can work from home with flexible hours."

Along with flexible online and in-person courses, HEP supplies students with free textbooks and materials, GED testing, career readiness workshops, and financial assistance. Classes are taught in English and Spanish, allowing Spanish-speakers to learn the material in their native language as the state allows the GED to be taken in Spanish.

Alejo said her language barrier always kept her from pursuing her GED, but the HEP program removed that obstacle along with the expense.

"The classes were in Spanish and free," she said. "The dream that I thought was lost or very far away suddenly was so close."