Three Students Honored as OWS Students of the Year

Every person has their own story to share and their own journey to travel. This year, three incredible students were nominated and won Student of the Year honors from the New York Association for Continuing and Community Education (NYACCE).

Reyna Guerra Almendarez, Geneva Mongulla and Jason Seymour were the three CV-TEC OneWorkSource students awarded this accolade.

The award recognizes adult students who have overcome adversity to further their education. Their achievements are recognized at an annual awards dinner in Albany.

They each have their own story and journey to share.

Almendarez, a Nicaraguan native, was encouraged by her daughter to get her GED certification and take lessons to learn English. Mongulla wanted to get her GED so she could go to college. Seymour had downtime while working as an auto mechanic and wanted to complete his GED. They all have led unique, individual journeys until they all crossed paths through OneWorkSource.

The following is a Q&A with Almendarez, Mongulla and Seymour about their time and
experience that led them to receiving their GED certification through OneWorkSource.

(Q) What has your time at OWS meant to you?
Almendarez: “It has meant a lot. It has been open doors. Also, that I can be capable of success in everything I am going through.”

Mongulla: “I’m really grateful for everyone at OneWorkSource. Everyone has been super sweet, super nice and super helpful there. The people are really nice, and I don’t want to downplay it, but I felt like it made getting my GED really easy.”

Seymour: “For me, it’s been an opportunity to redo what I didn’t do back when I was younger. It was a new opportunity to advance my education, utilize resources and get the help I needed to further my education.”

(Q) What was it like to find out you were Student of the Year?
Almendarez: “Oh my gosh, it was incredible — incredible for me. It was something I didn’t expect because I was thinking, ‘I’m so old and my English is not the perfect thing.’ But yes, I got it, and it was because all my co-students helped me to reach my goal. Everybody — my teachers, my co-students, my daughter — who encouraged me to study.”

Mongulla: “I felt like I didn’t deserve it at all. It felt like getting my GED was really easy, to be honest, because a lot of the knowledge that was on it, I already knew from high school. I was also told the reason I was nominated and won. I needed something to busy my brain, and I missed school so much, so I would assign myself homework. I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to academics.”

Seymour: “It was a huge honor, and I wasn’t expecting it. I passed my exam on the first try with just a bit of tutoring, and I haven’t been to school in roughly 24 years. I was nervous, and it was challenging. I didn’t think I passed the exam, but I did. So between that and battling a life of addiction, I turned my life around, and I was acknowledged for it. It was a big honor.”

(Q) How has OWS helped you overcome barriers and challenges presented to you?
Almendarez: “All the staff have been so nice with me, because at the beginning, I just told them I want to study for my GED classes and get my GED certificate. But I have some issues with my English, and they say, ‘It is not a problem.’ Every single person there were so nice with me, and they just encouraged me and helped me to reach my goals.”

Mongulla: “For the first 18 years of my life, I lived in a really abusive, horrible household where I was judged constantly. I couldn’t really exist or emote in my house without being ridiculed, shamed or made fun of. So through my experiences with OneWorkSource, they showed me I had options and that I wasn’t trapped in this never-ending cycle. They allowed me to really start progressing and making things happen for myself.”

Seymour: “I’ve always thought about trying to get my GED, but never really had the courage. Alexis [Dirolf, OWS Case Worker] convinced me to give it a try. They gave me resources and helped me through the process and accomplish what I wanted to accomplish.”

(Q) What advice can you provide to future OWS students?
Almendarez: “The main thing is to never give up. Never give up. It doesn’t matter the age, where you are from, who you are or whatever else; it doesn’t matter. Just keep going and never give up.”

Mongulla: “It’s going to be good for you, in the long run. It’s super easy, honestly. I would also say to be patient because everything takes time. I hate saying that because it’s super cliché, but it’s true. Be patient, but everyone at OWS should be super sweet and super nice to you.”

Seymour: “Don’t be afraid to go for it. There’s an amazing staff that will help you with any questions you may have and any difficulties you come across. You can achieve anything, especially with the help of the people at OneWorkSource.”

(Q) What’s next for you? What does your future look like?
Almendarez: “The GED certificate was, for me, like an open door. I just want to keep going
to open more doors because this is not just for my future. It’s also the future for my family, and I also want to be useful for my community.”

Mongulla: “I’m really ambitious. It’s probably not the most realistic. I want to go to college. I grew up in Chicago, so my dream school is Northwestern, but my plan is to go to SUNY Plattsburgh to start accruing credits, then transfer. I want to learn about filmmaking, music, acting and investigative journalism. But I’m going into travel nursing, so I have enough money to do everything I want to do. I just want to be able to reward people for being good people. I want to be successful enough that I can afford to do a lot of philanthropy.”

Seymour: “I did think about going back to school, but I have a career of 20 years being an auto mechanic. Right now, I’m full time again, so I’m going to stay with this. But I have kept the possibility open of going back to school.”

Read more from our Annual Report here.