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Hillary Broughton
By Mira Radovich, Senior Contributing Writer
Rio Salado College hosted the National Adult Education Honor Society (NAEHS) induction ceremony on Thursday, March 2, 2023, to celebrate the 25 newest student inductees.
Students are nominated to join the honor society in recognition of their dedication, determination, and persistence toward achieving their educational and career goals.
Rio Salado student Hillary Broughton served as the ceremony’s student speaker.
“Making the decision to start GED classes was not easy for me,” Broughton said. “Being a single mother of two and working part-time to pay the bills was stressful. I knew I needed something more for us and that’s when I called for my initial appointment.”
Broughton started her Rio journey at the college’s Northern location in early 2022. She enrolled in GED® Test prep classes to earn her high school equivalency diploma.
“After meeting everyone at Northern, I fell in love with the teachers and atmosphere,” Broughton said. “I loved my English class, and even though I struggled with math, the class was great. Instructors John Van Meter and Maxine Anderson are truly amazing people.”
Her success didn’t end there. Earlier this school year, Broughton received the Student of the Year honor from the Arizona Association for Lifelong Learning.
Earning her high school equivalency diploma has helped Broughton advance in her career.
“Right before I received my GED, I was offered a position at a dermatology office,” Broughton said. “I have since been promoted to surgical coordinator. Completing my GED has led me to a new job opportunity and given my family the security we didn’t have before.”
She credits the support she received at Rio Salado Northern for helping her reach her goals.
“I don’t think if I had gone anywhere else I would have been treated the same way,” Broughton said. “I don’t know if I would have worked as hard if I wasn’t welcomed every day with a smile and open arms. I will be forever grateful to everyone I interacted with during my time at Rio.”
About the National Adult Education Honor Society
The NAEHS mission is to provide meaningful recognition to deserving adult education students, to improve student employment opportunities, to develop student ambassadors for local adult education programs and to create adult education awareness with school administrators and state legislators.