George Ramos was released 45 days earlier from jail on good behavior and felt ready to 
reintegrate into society.  

Ramos pivoted from his past battered with scars from alcoholism and homelessness and tuned 
intently at his final parole and community team meeting.  

As the last parolee at the time, he met Anthony Garcia from Santa Ana College’s School of 
Continuing Education outreach team, who told Ramos there should be no barrier for him to 
complete his high school diploma.  

“He was very persistent and he did not give up on me until I received my high school transcripts 
and my student ID,” Ramos said.  

Determined to attain financial security for his family, Ramos enrolled in the Rising Scholars 
Program at Santa Ana College’s School of Continuing Education to earn his high school 
diploma.  

The Rising Scholars Program supports justice-impacted students through quality education, job 
training, and comprehensive services designed to help them achieve their goals and feel 
supported as they transition into college.  

Within the past year and five months he became well-rounded in arts, math and English 
composition classes.

“My time at the Centennial Education Center is therapy, not playing video games or watching a 
soccer game,” Ramos said.  

Meanwhile Ramos attended his classes three nights a week and worked for a tree service 
company in the early mornings, he had to abruptly pause his schooling after he sustained an 
injury. Despite the setback, a few months later Ramos graduated in June with his high school 
diploma.

His eyes are now set on earning more certificates to hone his interpersonal skills in a leadership 
class and become tech savvy in an Adobe Photoshop class at Santa Ana College’s School of 
Continuing Education. Afterwards, he plans to obtain his associate degree in Orange County.

Rising Scholars counselor Patricia Tejeda and Daniela Campos continued to guide Ramos after 
graduation and connected him with counselors at Cypress College and Orange County Coast 
College to pursue his passion for radiology.

Ramos recalled when he was a teenager in high school, he told a counselor who was a 
registered nurse at the University of California, Irvine, that he dreams of becoming an x-ray 
technician in the field of radiology.  

“I want to support people in healthcare,” he said.  

Despite Ramos growing up in a broken household as the only child, his discipline and prayer 
empowered him to transform his livelihood.

“Never lose hope and take each day at a time with prayer,” he said. “I understand everyone may 
not have moral support from loved ones, but your angels can be the instructors and counselors 
you meet on campus. I feel blessed to now have the moral support and the educational 
resources to grow.”