Students show that work, desire pay off — whether you’re 18 or 90

Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011 | 2 a.m.

The value of a good education can’t be overstated. It is foundational to not just a person but also to society.

In recent years, there has been considerable debate over the state of education in Nevada and the United States, and the Las Vegas Sun has explored various polices and issues. However, two stories last week caught our attention that had little to do with policy but everything to do with student desire and how that is a crucial part of education.

The first was the story of Michael Zone, who donned a cap and gown last week to accept his high school diploma at the age of 90. Zone had dropped out of high school at 17 to fight in World War II and never went back to finish. He led a full life, but two years ago, he told a friend about his desire to get his diploma. The friend referred him to Desert Rose Adult High School and Career Center, where the school motto is, “You’re never too old to graduate.”

As Paul Takahashi reported in the Sun, Zone enrolled. He finished his courses and walked in graduation ceremonies this spring but only received a certificate of attendance because he had only passed three of the four proficiency tests. “At my age, it’s not easy to study math,” he said. “It was hard to remember all the formulas.”

Zone wanted the diploma and worked with a tutor and continued studying. Last month, he passed his final proficiency exam. He said he wanted to be a good example for his 13-year-old grandson. He certainly has been.

“Without an education, you’re lost,” Zone said. “Life is a hell of a lot more interesting with an education.”

The second story is that of 18-year-old Ivon Padilla-Rodriguez. As Ray Brewer reported in the Sun, when Padilla-Rodriguez was a junior in high school, her family lost their home and went homeless for three months. Padilla-Rodriguez said during that time she “almost quit school because everything outside of school was so hard.”

“But I’ve always known since I was little that education would get me out of my problems,” she said. “I should at least have one good thing in my life, and that would be going to school.”

So Padilla-Rodriguez pressed on and this spring graduated from Canyon Springs High School in North Las Vegas, earning the honor of being co-valedictorian. She qualified for the Millennium Scholarship and with the help of grants enrolled at UNR. The money, however, wouldn’t be enough on its own to get her through college. She applied for a $100,000 scholarship contest run by Dr Pepper. She told the judges her dreams — she wants to help disadvantaged children, go to law school and maybe one day sit on the Supreme Court. But without the financial support, those dreams may fall through.

She was invited on short notice to fly to Atlanta to compete in a qualifying event. The contest requires the finalists to throw a football into a target. Padilla-Rodriguez had a problem — she had never thrown a football before.

Some of her friends, including UNR quarterback Cody Fajardo, helped her learn. Padilla-Rodriguez went to Atlanta and qualified for the final event. And on national TV, she won, putting 13 balls into the target in 30 seconds. Now she can afford to go to college.

“I wouldn’t say that academics come easy to me or that I’m smart,” she told Brewer, “but I work really, really hard and make sure I get all of my work done.”

Indeed.

The stories of Zone and Padilla-Rodriguez are inspiring. They are examples of what can happen if people try, work hard and apply themselves.

Congratulations to both on jobs well done.