A Guilderland woman is thankful for Capital Region BOCES and the opportunity it is affording her to pursue her dreams.

Mary Slattery will graduate on Aug. 19 from the adult High School Equivalency (HSE) program, allowing her to earn her high school diploma. The 20-year-old plans to use the diploma to attend college in the near future and eventually open her own coffee or food shop.

“I plan on starting college soon for a business degree and this diploma opens that opportunity for me. I want to start my own business and that can’t happen without what I have done and what I plan to do, she said.

Open to those 16 years of age or older, the HSE program is taught by a certified teacher who works with students to conquer their challenges so they can successfully pass the exams necessary to earn a high school equivalency diploma.

The curriculum focuses on preparing students in five subjects: reading, writing, social studies, science and math.

Slattery said the HSE program was the perfect answer to a less-than-successful high school career.

“I dropped out of high school because I wasn’t doing so well and after that I went to the alternative education program and that didn’t work out. I saw the BOCES program and it was great,” she said.

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

Finch praised the scholar, saying “she’s overcome a lot and has a bright future.”

Slattery is among more than 100 adults from across the region who will graduate on Aug. 19 during a 5 p.m. ceremony at Hackett Middle School in Albany.

Adults who have completed the HSE, English as a Second/New Language (ESL/ENL) program or one of the four Career & Technical Education (CTE) skilled trades training programs offered will be celebrated.