A former employee of the Ceres Kmart store will be among three students to be honored this Friday for their achievements in earning their High School Equivalency (HSE) certificates through LearningQuest.

A graduation ceremony for more than 90 LearningQuest students will take place at Modesto High School at 6:30 p.m.

Among three women to be acknowledged for their exceptional achievements is Amy Romero, a single mother who, through LearningQuest, was able to transition away from welfare support.

Romero came to Learning Quest in 2018. The closure of Kmart in Ceres, where she had worked for 15 years, came while she was working on her HSE. Amy continued her studies while working overtime during the store closure. She never gave up and came to the learning center every day to study. Besides earning her HSE, Romero manages a retail store in Ceres.

Erin Boonstra, who as a child was diagnosed with a nonverbal learning disability and anxiety disorder, will receive “Most Improved” honors. 

Learning Quest is a non-profit organization that provided last year to nearly 1,100 Stanislaus County adults with education to better their future. Free or low-cost instruction in reading, writing, math and English is provided by a combination of staff and more than 250 volunteers. LearningQuest receives funding from public and private contracts and through donations from businesses and individual donors. 

For more information on LearningQuest call 522-0656.