A 51-year-old man from Catalonia, Spain is Boothbay Region Adult Education’s newest graduate. Jordi Del Rio, 51, moved to Boothbay Harbor with his wife and children last June. It was a familiar location as Boothbay Harbor is his wife Conxa Packard’s hometown. His family has spent summers in Boothbay Harbor for several years prior to making it their permanent home. 

In Spain, Del Rio worked as an accountant but never graduated from high school. Over the years, his wife encouraged him to earn a high school diploma. “It was something we talked about, but something always seemed to get in the way,” Packard said. “After moving to Boothbay Harbor, he finally found time and worked toward earning his diploma. It blew me away at how dedicated to studying he was. I’m very proud of him.”

Del Rio said his major motivation in receiving a high school diploma was to pursue a career as a plumber. He plans on continuing his education at Southern Maine Community College. 

Time wasn’t the only obstacle in Del Rio’s way to achieving his high school diploma. Del Rio’s native language is Spanish and taking courses in a second language proved challenging. Del Rio responded to the challenge by excelling in the adult educational program called Hi-SET which replaced Maine’s GED program in 2014. HiSET has five courses – reading, writing, math, science and social studies. 

“It took Jordi a little more time with writing, but in the end, his writing score was the highest in the class,” Boothbay Region Adult and Community Education Director Raye Leonard said. 

While studying for his high school diploma, Del Rio took two classes at Southern Maine Community College. After receiving his high school diploma, Del Rio said “I’m so happy that all my family is together here. Thank you to the Hi-Set team. It was a good experience.”

Packard grew up in Boothbay Harbor until age 11. She teaches economics at Cony High School. While living in Spain, she and Del Rio discussed moving to Maine. “My happiest childhood memories occurred in Boothbay Harbor, and I wanted my kids to grow up here, too,” she said. “We talked about it, and Jordi wanted to move here.”

Leonard expects two more adult education graduates later this year.