Area libraries offer program, scholarships to earn a diploma
A high school diploma has been one of Maggie Takuska’s dreams, even though she gets by without one, having started her own small cleaning business while raising her 4-year-old son.
“It’s a personal thing that I want to do for myself and my son to finish and have a diploma,” said Takuska, who is from Poland and lives in Palos Hills.
She’s getting a chance to fulfill that dream through the Career Online High School degree and certificate program at Green Hills Public Library District in Palos Hills.
Takuska happened to be at the library with her son, ready to get him a library card to check out books, when she saw a placard touting the program.
“It kind of shocked me and I stood for a little bit since I’m a little older … this was kind of always my issue and it was always a problem for me that I hadn’t done it,” she said.
The program is suited for adults working full-time and with children because they complete the work at their own pace at home, as long as they do so in 18 months.
There are also scholarships for students 21 or older, but they need to take a self assessment and complete a prerequisite online course with a passing score to be accepted. The curriculum includes health, physical education and electives such as child care and education, office management and retail customer service.
RAILS, which stands for Reaching Across Illinois Library System, pays for the basic platform, though libraries chip in funds for the scholarships.
“I think the need is there for sure,” said Kristen Human, head of Adult Services at the Palos Hills library. “You kind of have to get a high school diploma to get through a lot of different jobs. Part of the program is choosing a focus — child care, retail, customer service, etc.”
Human, who said she has gotten a handful of inquiries about the program since she started at the library last summer, said the diploma program was also important for residents who might need to polish their English.
“One of the reasons she (Takuska) wanted to do this is to be a better support system to her son,” Human said. “She owns her own business so it’s like a confidence booster. She wants to be able to better communicate with her clients.”
A high school diploma was a big help to Margarita Diazdeleon, who finished the program at the Chicago Ridge Public Library in 2021. She too was working full time and had a young son, now 7.
“I grew up in a really bad neighborhood and went to a really bad high school and when you wanted help, you would pretty much be made fun of or the teacher didn’t care,” Flores said. “That’s one of the reasons I didn’t want to continue school — because I
didn’t get the help I needed.”
Her academic coach in the program was very understanding and helpful, she said, allowing her to take a few weeks longer after she lost her dad and then her mother-in-law to COVID19. The coach reached out to her every few weeks, asking her if she needed anything.
Diazdeleon was also allowed to study and use a computer at the library if she needed a quiet space.
While she is a stay-athome mom for now, she’s looking forward to telling prospective employers about the diploma she’s earned.
Alicia Jackson, Chicago Ridge’s adult services manager, who has overseen the program since the library began offering it in 2016, said some of the 11 students who have graduated came back to tell her how helpful it was.
“They just feel it’s such an accomplishment for them and I think it gives them a lot of confidence to do more schooling or be able to say when applying for jobs, ‘Yes, I do have a high school diploma.’ ”
Jackson said the program offers benefits a GED certificate does not, such as a subject concentration.
“There’s actual classes you take, so you’re learning material that you’re not necessarily tested on if you do a GED,” said Jackson. “It’s more like a classic high school diploma.”
Evergreen Park Public Library had an interested caller within 24 hours of recently starting the program. One resident is enrolled and several others are going through the application process.
Library Director Frank Murray said staff were looking for ways to update its offerings and came across the program online.
“With the new census coming out, we are still kind of shocked that there were over 800 people age 21 and older who didn’t have a high school diploma,” said Murray. “We said, you know what, let’s see what we can do.”
The Evergreen Park Public Library Foundation loved the idea and funded three scholarships.
“It fits in perfectly with Evergreen Park Library’s commitment to lifelong learning,” said Murray. “It’s also a neat way to empower not only the individual but our community as well.”