KEYRIS MANZANARES: Here at Sacred Heart Center, Richmond's Latinos can get the tools they need to thrive and flourish.

One tool: GED classes offered in Spanish.

LUIS FERNANDO MERLOS: Being a Hispanic immigrant, a child, a teenager moving from your homeland to a new city is really tough.

KEYRIS MANZANARES: Luis Fernando Merlos immigrated to Richmond from El Salvador at 16.

He attended a local high school but says the language barrier made it hard to connect to others.

He ended up dropping out.

Ten years later, he's on his way to earning his diploma.

LUIS FERNANDO MERLOS: I'm capable of doing anything that I want to as long as I put enough forward and consistency to it that I can reach my goals through the program and with the help of the amazing people out here, I can make it.

KEYRIS MANZANARES: Sacred Heart Center is one of the few providers in the area that has offered this GED program in Spanish for the last ten years.

TANYA GONZALEZ: So we offer the four subject areas and the state of Virginia does offer the test in Spanish.

So for people, they're able to prepare themselves to take that test in their native language and then hopefully with the ultimate goal of passing their four subject matter tests and acquiring their GED to then move on to their other goals.

KEYRIS MANZANARES: The center's executive director, Tanya Gonzalez, says obtaining a GED is no easy feat.

TANYA GONZALEZ: You know, they may be working, taking care of families, just navigating life as an adult and then coming to study, you know, twice a week, 3 hours each time.

That's a big commitment.

KEYRIS MANZANARES: Marisol Serrano Gutierrez was once a GED student at Sacred Heart.

Now she helps support the center's education programing (Speaking Spanish) KEYRIS MANZANARES: She says learning in Spanish helps the Latino community transform.

(Speaking Spanish) KEYRIS MANZANARES: Right now, 54 students are enrolled in the program's fall session.

Gonzalez says approximately 1000 students have studied for their GED at Sacred Heart.

Luis Fernando says once he graduates, he's ready to take his career to the next level.

He's considering becoming an architect.

Keyris Manzanares, VPM News.