Student Success Spotlight: Maria de Lourdes Baruch

At Monrovia Community Adult School, Maria de Lourdes Baruch’s journey is a powerful testament to perseverance and the impact of encouragement. She first enrolled in ESL classes in 2008 as a non-English speaker, eager to improve her language skills, but paused her education to raise her children.

In 2016, Maria returned to continue her studies, where a counselor recognized her prior college-level accounting coursework and encouraged her to pursue her high school diploma. Following that guidance, Maria earned her diploma in 2018 and continued her education at Citrus College, earning her associate degree in 2021.

With continued encouragement from her professors, Maria went on to complete her Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Cal Poly Pomona in 2023. Today, she works as an accountant in Monrovia and is actively pursuing her Certified Public Accountant (CPA) credentials.
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Maria’s journey from ESL student to future CPA is a strong reminder that, with perseverance and the right support, anything is possible.

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