2917 West Fort George Wright Drive • Spokane WA 99224-5202
For information call: 509-279-6000 or 1-800-845-3324
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IEL student
success stories
Ruben Salas, College Prep
Although he enjoyed the work, Ruben and his wife of nine years, Michelle, had a young family of four children ages 8, 7, 5 and 11 months. Working on the road kept Ruben away from his family and he realized he was needed at home. After taking some parenting classes, Ruben decided a stable career would put him in a better position to be available for his family, so he considered what he needed to do to create one.
It all started with a
GED
. Ruben began working graveyard shift as a security guard and attended courses at the IEL Adult Education Center on North Monroe . While there, he was encouraged to consider a college career beyond his high school equivalency.
“The teachers are so awesome, they help you figure out everything you need to know,” he says. “I was good at reading — especially blueprints — but I barely knew my multiplication tables,” says Ruben. After some career counseling, Ruben came back to his affinity for reading blueprints and set a goal of earning a degree in civil engineering or architecture. To get there, he enrolled in the IEL's
College Prep
program to prepare for the rigors of college.
In College Prep, Ruben learned how to take placement exams, find his way around a college campus, become proficient with computers, fill out financial aid forms and so much more.
Because he knew the instructors at the IEL were there to help him, Ruben was ready to start college. He is currently enrolled at Idaho State University in Pocatello. “I’m so excited. I never would have guessed when I dropped out of school that I would one day be an engineer…but now I really believe I will,” says Ruben.