By backing Centro Hispano’s HiSET Heroes campaign, you have the power to radically impact the lives of real people right here in East Tennessee. You personally will unlock avenues to opportunities in education, employment and personal development for generations of Latinos in our community. Your contribution will facilitate the success of driven, hard-working individuals and their families by bolstering Centro’s burgeoning new High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) Prep Program. Can we count on your support? Click “Give Now” to make a donation and read more about the program below. 
Launched by our Workforce Development Department in October 2019, the HiSET Prep Program is Centro Hispano’s response to a dire need that has been voiced by our community for years. Tennessee adopted the HiSET in 2014 as the standard test for college and career readiness, replacing the GED. The subsequent transition and lack of Spanish-language resources for the new exam created a critical void that severely inhibited access to higher education and employment opportunities for Latinos in East Tennessee. Always eager to empower themselves, Centro Hispano received calls and inquiries almost daily from the people we serve about opportunities for earning their high school equivalency diploma.
More than ever, earning a high school diploma or equivalency credential is essential for employment, and it is required for pursuing higher education. It increases an individual’s earning potential by 37.5%, with an average net gain of $700,000 over the course of their lifetime. With those striking statistics in mind, and as part of our mission to see every Latino and Latina in East Tennessee thriving culturally, educationally and economically, creating a pathway to success through the development of a proprietary HiSET prep program became one of Centro’s top priorities.
After years of intentional program design, collaboration with like minded organizations and the creation of our own Spanish-language diagnostic and evaluation resources, we are elated to announce that our first cohort of HiSET program students are well on their way to completing their exams and earning their high school equivalency diplomas. Having overcome a host of overwhelming obstacles in life, and despite a pause in programming, endless uncertainties and a transition to virtual instruction due to COVID, these students have reached the finish line. They are all HiSET Heroes. Visit the “Meet the Heroes” tab now to learn more about their stories and to make a contribution in their honor.