When Orberlin Habana Garcia, 37, moved to Asheville in 2024, he enrolled in English Language Acquisition (ELA) classes at A-B Tech to help him better integrate into his new home. A little over a year later, the ambitious student is the first graduate of A-B Tech’s new Spanish language High School Equivalency program Educación de Adultos en Español (EAE), and has earned his GED© with flying colors.
Habana Garcia, a teacher and human rights advocate, first made the plunge from his native Mexico to America in 2022 and settled near a friend in Bristol, Tennessee, in hopes of starting a new life. He found work landscaping and at a restaurant, where he slowly began to try out his English while waiting on customers. When his boss decided to start a new business in Asheville, he invited Habana Garcia to come along. Habana Garcia leapt at the opportunity, excited to be in a bigger city with more English study opportunities.
When Habana Garcia began his new job bartending and serving at Guachinho Brazilian Steakhouse, he realized he’d need more English to connect with customers. That’s when he signed up for A-B Tech’s free ELA program (formerly known as English as a Second Language or ESL).
Habana Garcia stuck with English lessons for a year, trying out new vocabulary at the restaurant as his confidence and knowledge increased. “The classes helped me to communicate. People understand me now very well,” he said.
In March of 2025, his English instructor, Transitional Studies Coordinator Erica Witsell, told him about a new High School Equivalency program being offered in Spanish. Though he went to high school and college in his home country, the credits didn’t translate in the United States. “(Erica) is always pushing us to do more at A-B Tech. She said you should try something else, and I did,” he said.
Habana Garcia quickly restructured his days to fit his new school schedule: English classes from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and High School Equivalency classes from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. His work shift was from 2:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. That left only quiet moments in between customers or after his shift for homework. Luckily, Habana Garcia had access to his textbooks on his phone, which he said helped a lot.
“Being an adult, you don’t have time for studying,” Habana Garcia said. “It was a challenging time. I used to stay up late and study. When you have a goal in mind, you decide to do it.”
Habana Garcia said his teachers helped him succeed by being patient and encouraging. He also made new friends in his classes, who became part of his personal cheerleading team. “We shared the same problems,” he said. “We shared ways we could find to study as an adult.”
In the end, Habana Garcia’s hard work paid off. “Despite balancing work and English studies in the morning, Orberlin rarely missed class,” said math instructor Alexander Molina. “His dedication and positive attitude made him a role model for his peers.”
With a GED© under his belt, Habana Garcia is now beginning to think of other career pathways. He’s considering A-B Tech’s HVAC program and is interested in learning American Sign Language.
In the meantime, with fewer classes, Habana Garcia is enjoying having more free time for hiking on the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of his favorite hobbies. For now, he said, he is content to stay put in his restaurant job and in A-B Tech’s English language community, where he has made friends and worked his way up to higher-level classes.
“I am working on my English,” he said. “I want to focus on that. You can get even better jobs with better English and with a GED©.”
El Departamento de Estudios de Transición ofrece clases de preparación para el diploma de equivalencia del high school (GED©) en español. Para más información, contacte con Talia Aguayo @ (828) 398-7338 o taliaaguayo@abtech.edu.
A-B Tech’s Transitional Studies Department offers preparation classes for the GED© in Spanish. For more information, please contact Talia Aguayo at (828) 398-7338 or taliaaguayo@abtech.edu.