
A Wethersfield mother and son shared a milestone when they graduated from the Hartford Adult Education Center on Thursday.
Gabriela Spagnuolo and her son, Gabriel Amestoy, received their high school diploma at a ceremony held at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School.
It wasn’t an easy road for the two students. Spagnuolo didn’t finish high school when she moved from Argentina to Wethersfield. She and her husband raised four kids there.
When her husband passed away during the COVID pandemic, Amestoy dropped out of high school.
“I just didn’t have a very good high school experience,” he said. “I was just tapped out most of the time.
It was a tough time for the entire family.
This year, the two decided to go back and finish their education together, pushing each other to succeed.
“I asked to help me finish my high school education, so he said yes, mommy, of course. So he did it for me,” Spagnuolo said.
Spagnuolo and Amestoy plan to go to college soon. Amestoy wants to study politics, and his mother is excited to learn more English.
Sixty-four adults received their diplomas from the Hartford Adult Education Center within Hartford Public Schools, proving that learning has no age limit.






