Kentucky's first Plaza Comunitaria in Lexington to provide pathway for adults to continue their education

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Kentucky's first Plaza Comunitaria is coming to Lexington, offering Spanish-speaking adults — regardless of nationality or background — a free, virtual path to earn educational credentials, from basic literacy to a college degree.

Casa de la Cultura brought the program to Kentucky through a partnership with Global Lex and the Mexican Consulate of Indianapolis, with a goal of opening doors for learners across the Commonwealth.

"It's never too late to start," Monica Calleja, founder and executive director of Casa de la Cultura KY, said.

"This is a program that allows any Spanish speaker regardless of nationality, regardless of background To start, continue, or finish their education completely free of charge, completely virtual with offered support on sites in a way that allows residents to earn their degrees," Basel Touchan, executive director of Global Lex, said.

"This program has a great resources for even people who don't know how to read or write...in the process of this we can even help people to get a a college degree," Calleja said.

For many, a lack of educational credentials limits opportunities — something Touchan says he sees far too often.

"Unfortunately we see so many people who walk through our doors uh who sometimes are locked out of opportunities uh they're so well qualified for, but they're just lacking that piece of paper and so this program will hopefully be able to offer them that opportunity," Touchan said.

The program is conducted entirely in Spanish, and participants can take it at their own pace. "It's an investment that we're making on ourselves. It's incredibly important and can also serve as an example for our children," Soreyda Begley, Casa de la Cultura KY board president, said.

Organizers say the impact goes beyond the diploma or degree, hoping the program gives adults the confidence to pursue goals they may have put on hold years ago.

"Education is something nobody is gonna take away from you, no matter where you are the education is yours and it's an investment on yourself," Calleja said.

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