Cengage congratulates Juan Garcia, the first employee graduate of Cengage’s Career Online High School. This program is being offered through a partnership between Cengage Learning and McDonald’s and its franchisees.
Having moved to the United States after attending college in Mexico, Juan’s educational accomplishments weren’t recognized by our systems. He attempted to enroll in an adult school in North Hollywood, only to be placed in ESL classes. After getting frustrated with the adult schooling process of having to drive to an institution, he temporarily gave up.
Juan continued working at McDonald’s, working his way up from maintenance to management. When the COHS benefit was introduced at one of his district meetings, he approached the district manager immediately and said, “Sign me up.” His enrollment/approval papers were signed that day.
A graduation ceremony honoring the achievement was held at McDonald’s during a district manager’s meeting. Employees of McDonald’s and Cengage Learning were on hand to celebrate this event alongside Juan.
During his ceremony, Juan gave a moving and inspiring speech:
“In August of 2014, I had the pleasure to enroll in the high school diploma program… having a balance between work, family, and school was difficult – but not impossible. My family has made it easy for me to pursue my education. Immediately after graduating, I applied to further my education through College of America, to obtain my Associate’s in Business, because I would like to continue growing as a person. I feel like everyone should take advantage of this great benefit that has been provided to us.”
Upon the occasion, Ron Stefanski, Executive Director of Strategic Alliances at Cengage Learning, said: “Juan Garcia reminds us of the everyday heroes among us. His dedication and perseverance make his milestone achievement a cause for celebration.”
Rob Lauber, Chief Learning Officer at McDonald’s, echoed Ron’s remarks. “We are so proud of Juan and his achievement, which marks the first of many celebrations to come here at McDonald’s. As part of our Archways to Opportunity education strategy, we are pleased to be working with Cengage Learning’s Career Online High School to make a high school diploma possible for our people — along with our other robust education and life skills building opportunities.”
We at Cengage Learning send our congratulations to Juan and to all the employees of McDonald’s taking part in this life-changing endeavor! Share your words of congratulation in the comments.
Read more about Cengage Learning’s efforts relating to upskills and the efforts to improve access to educational opportunities to today’s workforce.
About Career Online High School
Career Online High School was developed in 2012 through a partnership by ed2go, a division of Cengage Learning that provides students with online continuing education and career training, and Smart Horizons Career Online Education in an effort to provide affordable, career-based online education opportunities for the millions of adults in the United States without high school diplomas.
Learn more about the Career Online High School programs for McDonald’s employees and Career Online High School for McDonald’s Franchise Owner Operator Employees.