A graduation celebration will be held for 51 graduates — the largest-ever graduation class — of the Latino Academy of Workforce Development’s Commercial Drivers License (CDL) program and the General Educational Development (GED) program on Saturday, July 16.
The Latino Academy of Workforce Development hosts a graduation celebration every year for GED/CDL classes. Due to the pandemic, this will be the first in-person celebration since early 2020. The theme for this year’s graduation celebration is Renacimiento (New Beginning).
“This year is a new beginning for our students, for our community, and for our organization,” said Baltazar De Anda Santana, executive director and co-founder of the Latino Academy, in a statement. “Our students have worked harder than ever during the past few years of the pandemic, persisting through so many challenges in order to advance their education and their careers.”
The Latino Academy of Workforce Development, Inc. is South Central Wisconsin’s newest Latino-led nonprofit organization, building on over a decade of growth in providing the region’s only bilingual workforce training and educational services
Saturday’s invitation-only celebration will be held at the Badger Prairie Needs Network in Verona. Renee Moe, president and CEO of the United Way of Dane County, will deliver the keynote address, along with personal reflections from four program graduates. Stephanie Díaz de León, outreach and engagement director for Madison365, will serve as event emcee.
(Photo: ArrowStar Photography)
The celebration will bring together graduates from the past three years who have responded to COVID’s workplace challenges by developing new workforce skills. “Our students and graduates never stop connecting with us to make progress towards their career goals,” said Maragarita Avila, director of Workforce Development for the Latino Academy. “This is why our Untapped Workforce Career Fair drew nearly 175 job seekers in June.”
The celebration will include 30 CDL and 21 GED program graduates, representatives of Wisconsin’s Untapped Workforce that Latino Academy connects with employers.
