About 100 adults will be honored on Aug. 19 for completing adult education programming

For hundreds of area adults, Capital Region BOCES is synonymous with one major thing – opportunity.

These adults turned to BOCES to build their personal and professional futures—whether through new career training, earning their GED or by learning the English language.

On Aug. 19, about 100 of them will be celebrated for their accomplishments as the Capital Region BOCES Adult Education Program conducts its annual graduation ceremony. The event begins at 5 p.m. at Hackett Middle School in Albany.

The graduates hail from countries around the world and have widely different backgrounds, but all have one thing in common – BOCES has prepared them for better lives and careers in the global workforce.

“Attending BOCES was very beneficial to my mental health,” said Katherine Cook, a Schenectady resident and graduate of the High School Equivalency program. “I stopped going to high school because it was too difficult to me with anxiety. BOCES provided me with a great alternative.”

Mary Slattery also attended the HSE program after not completing high school. She now plans to attend college and open a coffee shop or restaurant.

“The program was amazing, I had one of the best teachers [Frank Finch],” Slattery said. “I was a bit skeptically when I first enrolled, but for me it was the perfect program for me.”

Fellow graduate Kyi “Kevin” Hlaing attended the English as a Second Language (ESL) program.

“I started studying at BOCES in November 2024. Now I can get accepted into the [certified nurse assistant] course and work as a [patient care assistant].

This is all because of Capital Region BOCES,” he said.

David Quillinan of Guilderland also turned to BOCES to launch a new career.

A restaurant worker for 13 years, he found that welding truly fueled his interests and learned about the BOCES adult Welding program.

“I have always been interested in welding, so when I learned about the program, I applied and here I am. I love the program. I look forward to coming here every time. I enjoy learning here,” he said.

A new year of adult education programming launches in September at Capital Region BOCES.