The College of New Jersey(TCNJ) Bonner Program is collaborating with Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) to offer free accelerated preparation courses for adults to achieve a GED. 

The program offers training in both English and Spanish, although the Spanish-speaking classes have already filled up for this year. “We are specifically working for a demographic of students that speak Spanish and English from various age ranges and from various cultural and national backgrounds,” said Camila Guayasamin, a Bonner Community Scholar. 

The Bonner program allows TCNJ students to serve the Trenton Community. “It’s a program that provides college students the opportunity to get a scholarship that covers most or 100% of our tuition and then also give us the opportunity to serve in the community, specifically in Trenton,” explains Guayasamin, who currently works with El Centro teaching GED classes for adults.

The program is designed to walk adults through getting their GEDs. “[It] offers the classes and resources they need to learn and prepare for the exam they have to take. And the second part is that we gave them the opportunity to take the exam.” 

Guayasamin explains that they have every class needed for students to succeed. “[The] program provides the students the resources, classes…So we give classes for mathematics, science, history, and English or grammar. And yes, we offer this program through Zoom,” Guayasamin said. 

Guayasamin noted that students who have gone through the program and passed their GEDs have seen an overall improvement in their life. “Statistically, there are more employment opportunities for the students that have a GED diploma; many of them want to go to the army or join the army forces, and that’s also a requirement; and we have students that take the class in English and are able to better perform in the workplace,” said Guayasamin. 

For more information, please visit: https://sites.google.com/tcnj.edu/ged-program/high-school-equivalency.