To the people who know them, Eufemia Castro and Liliana Villalobos are heroes. Their names are known to every adult on the South Coast who aspires to a high school degree, but must also contend with the demands of work and family. Castro, 31, and Villalobos, 30, learned English, worked full-time, and (in Castro’s case) raised two young children – and all while earning their GEDs together. It took them more than three years, but the two friends passed their final test this summer. In so doing, they became the first two graduates of Puente’s GED program. Inspired by their example, six other adults have followed them into the program. How did they do it? The two friends try to answer the question during an interview at the Half Moon Bay Library. They sit and think for several moments: two confident, accomplished women with big smiles. “It was very hard,” says Castro. That’s putting it mildly. The women received four hours of tutoring each week by Puente staff and volunteers, along with at least six hours of homework – excluding extra study time before tests. Castro and her husband work full-time, and she had to prevail on her sister-in-law to watch her kids as much as possible since she can’t afford a babysitter. Villalobos, who lives in Montara, had to … Continue reading Puente’s first GED grads accomplish the near-impossible