Julie LaPointe can’t hide her excitement have language barriers challenged her to try testing again and again until she was able to complete the HiSET requirements. Family and friends cheered her.

Eight years ago when Julie LaPointe moved to New Iberia, barely able to speak English, she never dreamed this day would happen. She said being part of the Progressive Education Program, Inc. has been a great experience.

With encouragement from three Teaching Sisters who lead the program, three instructors and a staff secretary, LaPointe and 26 other students graduated Wednesday night with family and friends cheering them on.

“Encouragement is the thing,” said Sister Barbara Kraus SSND, Director of PEPI. “We have adults who may have made bad choices in the past but now want to get their second chances. It’s important they get a second chance.”

Sister Barbara,70, said some of the students they teach simply made silly mistakes like misbehaving in the cafeteria, fighting or dropping out for any number of reasons.

“We want them (students) to know this is not the end of learning, it is the beginning of something greater,” Sister Barbara said. “We try to help them broaden their vision.”

“If a student comes at 17 years of age,” Sister Barbara said, “still in the mode of high school with disruptive attitudes, instructors express what is expected during a mandatory two-day orientation.”

She said the adults who attend are working hard to complete the 40 hours of training before the timed test that will tell them they have passed the High School Equivalency Test, formerly GED. Most of the students, she said, have children at home and the time they take for bettering themselves is precious.

The program won’t let unfocused students waste other students’ time. Students are expected at class and have penalties if absent without calling in. Sister Barbara said, it’s like training for a job.

Sister Barbara said they have structured classes but offer many opportunities for students to take advantage of the educators eager to assist with extra instruction or computer time. She said nearly one-third of the students don’t have computers at home to look up potential job placement, so this is an important part of their support.

English as a second language has only been a part of the program since 2001, said Sister Barbara, but the first class filled immediately with the majority of learners from the Laotian community. In the formative years as The Plantation Adult Basic Education Program, the purpose was to educate the plantation workers.

A native of the Philippines, LaPointe, 32, said she could understand a little English, but could not read or write when she moved to New Iberia. With the classes at PEPI, she is now ready to help her daughter Lucia, who just began school.

It was her daughter starting school that inspired LaPointe to further her own education.

Although Sister Barbara said funding from state and federal funds has become increasingly difficult, they appreciate the ongoing support from the School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province, United Way and as a beneficiary of The Daily Iberian’s Help the Helpers program.

The move to the campus of South Louisiana Community College Teche Area site has given them room to expand and offers more students the benefits of the program.

Those unable to be in a classroom environment because of offshore work, or other life challenges, are set up with online assistance and classes.

New classes begin at the end of August and anyone interested in registering can call 365-0933 after Aug. 1 or visit www.PEPIadulted.org. To test yourself to see if you have the skills to pass the HiSET, visit www.hiset.ets.org.

Sister Barbara has been teaching most of the 50 years since she became a nun at Notre Dame College in St. Louis. She was 13 when she began preparing for her vocation at an aspirature school, preparatory high school, for those who believe they will become nuns.

The light reflecting from Sister Barbara’s eyes lets you know she chose well. She said the teachers and staff pass on educational as well as spiritual grounding students need to succeed.