Turning Unemployment Into A Positive

By: Elyse Miller

More adults are going back to school after losing their jobs. They’re trying to make the best of a bad situation.

Rafaela Mundo used to spend her days working at a day care center, until she got laid off.

” Parents lost their jobs and couldn’t pay for day care,” says student, Rafaela Mundo.

With less students enrolled, the daycare center couldn’t afford all of their employees. Rafaela suddenly found herself without a job or a paycheck. Now, like thousands of newly unemployed adults, she’s going back to school, learning english.

This year, enrollment at Coachella Valley Adult School is higher than ever, and they expect it will keep growing. The problem is, as these seats fill up funding is draining.

Budget cuts will take about 200 thousand dollars from the school, but educators won’t let the tough times make it tougher for these students.

“Either way with less money, we will continue serving the needs of our students in the Coachella Valley,” says Guillermo Mendoza, Principal of Coachella Valley Adult School.

” People need better jobs and they need the certifications to get those better jobs,” says Guillermo.

Most of the adult students we talked to say, when it comes to supporting a family, any job will do.

” I need food, pay the bills, rent, insurance,” says student, Luisa Licarraga. ” If I could have any job, I’d work at Mc Donald’s or Taco Bell.”

Rafaela dreams of becoming a receptionist, and getting laid off may have been the best thing for her.

” I know sometimes when bad things happen to you, there is something else good inside,” says Mundo.