Rio Salado College Avondale

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Rio Salado College Avondale

Location Info

Address

420 N. Central Ave.
Avondale, AZ 85323

Phone: 480-377-4400

Email: front.avondale@riosalado.edu

Rio Salado College (RSC) Avondale offers adult education classes to help you develop your academic skills to obtain a high school equivalency diploma or increase your English language abilities. These classes are offered both day and evening to fit your schedule. RSC has specialized support services to help you achieve your goals.

Come explore how our adult education classes build a solid foundation for college and/or your entry into the workforce. Adult Education Information

Important Dates and ClosuresCollege-wide Closures

Location Detail

 

Rio Salado College offers a variety of classes to meet the needs of our students and the community.

Non-Credit Classes Include:

  • GED® Test Prep Classes
  • English Language/ESL
  • Adults Achieving a College Education (AACE)

Career Training:
Non-credit and credit Career Training is offered to co-enrolled Adult Education Students. For more information visit our Adult Education Career Training page.

Contact #: 480-377-4402

Email: avondale.testing@riosalado.edu

Description:
Rio Salado College testing centers are certified by the National College Testing Association (NCTA). We administer a variety of exams for students, military members and community organizations. We adhere to the professional testing standards and guidelines of the National College Testing Association (NCTA). For additional information please visit Rio Salado Colleges Testing Services

Tutoring:
Free tutoring is available to all enrolled Rio Salado students. Tutors help you understand course content, improve study skills and develop the confidence needed to succeed in your class. Tutoring hours vary please call the RSC Location for more information.

Counseling:
Counselors assist students to set personal, educational, and career goals. They provide high quality and accessible services to meet the needs of the diverse student population. Counseling Services at Rio Salado College are an integral part of the total educational process. These services are provided at no cost to students. Students can visit the Counseling & Career Services webpage or call (480) 517-8785.

Library: 
All Rio Salado students can access library services at any time via the Rio Salado Online Library.

Disability Resources & Services: 
Rio Salado College offers resources and services that promote accessible learning for students with documented disabilities. Services and accommodations are available at no cost to qualifying Rio Salado students. Visit Rio’s Disability Services webpage for more information.

Rio Salado College partners with organizations throughout the Phoenix area to discover creative, new ways to empower our local communities. RSC works with education and community partners to improve services for local residents and offer programs and services that provide pathways to post-secondary education.

Some of our Partners include: 

  • Arizona Department of Education, Adult Education Services
  • Arizona@Work-City of Phoenix/Maricopa County
  • Arizona Department of Economic Security, Vocational Rehabilitation
  • Chicanos Por La Casa
  • Opportunity for Youth
  • Dress for Success
  • YEAR-Up
  • Care 1st at Avondale

 

Rio Salado College students come from all walks of life, each with a personal story to tell. Following are a few stories from students at Rio Salado College Avondale. These stories, like the students themselves, showcase how education can open doors to a better future.

Robin Ashley

Robin Ashley - HSE

Robin Ashley is a student in Rio Salado’s AACE Program (Adults Achieving a College Education).

“I am a recovering addict," said Ashley. "I spent a lot of years wasting my life. I got clean five years ago and decided then that I wanted to live life, not just exist. I learned to live life on life’s term and after a few years I decided to get my GED at Rio Salado.  My kids know the old me and now they know the new mom. I just want to set a better example than I used to be.

"Once I got my GED…I got excited about my future. I started dreaming bigger and knew that only I can be the creator of my life  I am going back to school to earn my college degree and I am - for the first time in my life - proud of myself. I learned the hard way that life is what you make of it. You can only get out of it what you put in.”

Ashley has progressed in her personal life and her professional life. Since graduating with her GED, she has been accepted in AACE classes, which she is working on completing. She is also working her dream job at a Real Estate Investment Company and hopes to advance with the company after earning a degree.

Reynaldo Tellez

Reynaldo Tellez - HSE

Reynaldo Tellez received his GED after attending classes at Rio Salado College. “I would someday like to be a counselor and to assist adults who have lost confidence in themselves as I did once," said Tellez. "My goal would be to instill in them all the dreams and potential they have to offer.

"I am now in my late 40s and have come to the realization that I want more out of life. I have begun to dream again and I realize that I am not too old to go back to school.”

Tellez finds strength from his own experiences and from the hope that he plans to pass onto others who may have also lost their way. He is actively involved in church, attends college through the AACE Program and has been working in his field for over 20 years. He is looking forward to what lies ahead.

Tellz has made quite the impression on his classmates and his instructors. When he was in GED® classes, he was known for his persistence and for his positivity. He helped others to see that change is possible and continues to work towards these goals in his AACE classes.

Ines Calva

Ines Calva - ELAA

Ines Calva came to the United States from Puebla, Mexico, in 1999. At 17 years old, she wanted to go to school, but was told that she could not because of her age. Calva eventually learned about an ELAA program in California, which she started, but did not complete.

She became depressed, negative and angry, she said. She thought about ending her life. One day, however, her mother helped soothe her emotional pain, and not long after that, while attending church, she was asked attend a weekend church retreat. She did not know what to expect from it, but decided to attend the retreat where she began to explore new things. She became intent on looking for happiness and a new approach to her life.

The retreat had a huge impact on her life and her Christian belief increased. The experience opened her mind and heart to what was really important to her. She learned about Rio Salado College in Avondale while reading the newspaper one day. She decided to go there and enroll in classes.

“I want to better myself and increase my vocabulary skills,” Calva said.

Neptaly Zelaya
 

Neptaly Zelaya – ELAA

Neptaly Zelaya came to the United States from Honduras in 1994 when he was 16 years old. His first job was at a discount dollar store where, at one point, he earned $20 a day working 12 hours.

Zelaya recalled his first day on the job when his boss asked him to go and buy water. Since he was new to the English language, he didn’t understand what his boss was asking. Zelaya mistakenly thought his boss was sending him to buy alcohol. In his country another word for alcohol is "guaro." This situation caused him to think hard about improving his English language skills and education level.

He  heard about Rio Salado College and decided he wanted to attend. A year later, he was enrolled at the school. After working a few years, Zelaya married, received his citizenship and started working as a truck driver. A few years after that, he and his family started a trucking company, United Express Transport Inc. Today, he has a second business. However, one thing he says he learned is that “No matter how many jobs you can get or how good the jobs are, everyone needs an education.“ He has five children and knows it takes hard work going back to school. His goals include finishing his ELAA studies, obtaining his GED, and taking college courses to become a computer technician.