LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — At a very young age, Maria Aviles Tinoco had to say goodbye to her education.
She was born and raised in a rural and remote town in Veracruz, Mexico and said traveling to school every day would often times become a dangerous task.
"I did not finish primary school when I was younger," said Aviles.
"I'm from a remote town that's far away from civilization. We had to take a bus or if we walked, we had to cross a river. And it rains a lot there and sometimes it would flood, and you wouldn't be able to cross, so there came a point in time I decided to pause my education."
But little did she know, the pause would last several decades.
While throughout the years, she tried to go back to school, she was afraid of being judged because of her age and would create excuses to not return.
"I was afraid they would laugh at me. That they would say, 'She's old and she still has not finished primary school,' I was embarrassed about being judged," Aviles said.
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But recently, the 46-year-old woman got a second shot at her education via a program being offered by the Mexican Consulate and the Immigrant Home Foundation.
The two organizations host classes inside the Rafael Rivera community center in East Las Vegas.
"We offer classes for our elders to catch up with their academic needs. A lot of our students have to start working at a very young age and are unable to complete their education, so what we do here is that we provide them with the foundational skills to be successful with their academic skills. We provide them with reading groups, we also provide them with primary elementary school education — we give them a secondary education as well. They are able to obtain their certificate from the Mexican Consulate," said program coordinator Uriel Escudero-Garcia.
Escudero-Garcia said many of the students in the program at one time felt embarrassed to go back to school because of their age.
However, Escudero-Garcia said they provide their students one-on-one support to make sure they are ready for the next level of their education.
"We provide the support necessary before we put them in a whole group setting, so that they have already reached a limit where they can be successful," Escudero-Garcia said.
He said the program has been around for roughly 10 years and has seen hundreds of students successfully receive primary and secondary certificates.
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Currently, they have 25 students from different parts of Latin America taking classes.
"The fact that I have people in their 70s here getting their first textbook and the first sentence they could read is here with us…That is very powerful," Escudero-Garcia said.
He said the classes are completely free of cost to all of their students, and said the Mexican Consulate and the Immigrant Home Foundation cover the costs.
He told Channel 13 that roughly 75% of the students who successfully complete the program continue to work towards their GED or go to trade school.
"Whether it's a trade school or a GED program, they continue with their path to success," Escudero-Garcia said.
As for Aviles, she successfully finished the program and now spends her time helping others achieve their academic success.
"Seeing people older than me learning, inspired me. I told myself that if they can do it, so can I," said Aviles. " It's never too late, it's never too late. Today is the day to get your education."
She is working toward her GED and is hoping to open her own cleaning business in the valley.
If you would like to learn more about the program, visit the Rafael Rivera community center on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
You can also go to the Mexican Consulate's website for more details.
