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Where Are They Now Alumni Profile - Meet Peter Chacon
Rio Adult ACE program takes student from high school dropout to bachelor's degree
Growing up in south Phoenix, Peter Chacon faced a hard childhood that led to several bad decisions. He dropped out of high school and found himself facing jail time for minor crimes.
However, this proved to be a life-changing experience.
“I was sitting next to someone on the jail bus who told me his story and I was shocked,” Chacon said. “I went back to my cell thinking about what I was going to do when I got out. I asked myself, ‘Do I really want to continue my family’s cycle of going in and out of jail?’”
When he got out, Chacon took a placement test and discovered he had a 6th grade education.
“I was in my early 20s and started taking classes to get my GED, but I still had many distractions,” Chacon said. “I started not to care. I ended up living at my grandmother's and sleeping on the floor trying to figure out what I was going to do.”
Then in 2012, Chacon heard about the Adults Achieving a College Education (Adult ACE) program at Rio Salado College.
Adult ACE is a college-to-career preparation program for students enrolled in Rio Salado’s GED® test prep and higher-level English language courses.
“It was tough in the beginning, but when I focused my mind to my studies, the lessons became easier to understand,” Chacon said.
Chacon specifically credits the support he received from Adult ACE advisor Jenita Landrum throughout the program.
“I enjoyed the mentoring from Jenita,” Chacon said. “When I wanted to give up, I felt like she was there for me. I would recommend this program because there is so much support for students.”
Chacon completed the Adult ACE program in 2012. He went on to earn an associate degree in digital media from Glendale Community College in 2015, and a bachelor’s degree in graphic informational technology from Arizona State University in 2019.
Today, Chacon works at Amazon while working actively to start his own digital art business. He also finds time between family responsibilities to share his story and help others believe in themselves.
“It doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked down, just keep getting back up,” Chacon said. “Fight for what you want to do in life because you will be doing what you love.”