— Thanks to Scholarships from the Sonoma County Library —
More than 20 years ago, three teenagers, Robert, Bobby, and Jason, met through the local car community in Sonoma County, California. As it turned out, their passion for cars wasn’t the only thing they had in common — all three young men faced barriers to completing their high school education. It wasn’t a commonality they talked about, but decades later, they would find themselves facing the challenge of high school together again.
“I was working two jobs in high school,” says Jason. “I was struggling to keep up in school, and the prospect of earning money was much more exciting to me — at least for a while.”
Robert and Bobby felt that they lacked the support needed to keep on track with their academics. For Bobby, a mid-high school move to Santa Rosa made it impossible to catch up after switching districts. Without the support they needed, they both eventually dropped out.
A Shared Struggle to Get Back to Education
Jason and Robert attempted to complete their GED®, but the program wasn’t one that made them feel successful.
“I failed and failed so many times,” Robert recalls. “It just made me feel like I didn’t have it in me to succeed.” Jason had the same experience with the GED — multiple attempts, no success.
For decades, the three friends felt a cloud of shame about not completing high school. They were now adults — working, serving as role models to their children — but stuck. Without a high school diploma, their career prospects were limited. Jason, who comes from a highly educated family, felt like the black sheep, always judged for not completing high school.
Then, they found Career Online High School (COHS).
Discovering COHS at the Library
“I was in the Sonoma County Library with my daughter in fall 2023,” Robert shares. “I saw a flier for COHS and felt like I was ready to try something different.”
Robert enrolled and then told Bobby about COHS. While Bobby was apprehensive at first, he liked the idea that the program was available online any time, and that he would have the support of an Academic Coach. Soon after enrolling, Bobby mentioned to Jason that he was doing homework.
“I asked for more information and then got very excited,” Jason remembers. “I signed up for COHS immediately.”
The three friends found themselves back in school together — and this time, they also found success. Robert graduated from COHS in 2024, and Bobby and Jason graduated together in early 2026, all earning accredited high school diplomas.
This opportunity was made possible by full scholarships from the Sonoma County Library.
The Need Continues
Today, however, the library system cannot enroll students in COHS due to a lack of funding. Meanwhile, future students are already waiting, hoping for the same life-changing opportunity.
“Earning my diploma gave me confidence and reminded me that it’s never too late to improve your life,” Robert says. “It opened doors that were previously closed to me. I was able to become a volunteer police officer, which required a diploma to apply. I have hope for the future where I can join the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team.”
Jason says the COHS program gave him a second chance in life. “The growth of the COHS program at the library is proof of its necessity in our community.”
“There is nothing else like this program,” Robert adds. “The loss of COHS would be a huge loss for everyone.”
—Rachel Icaza, Education Initiatives Librarian, Sonoma County Library
