Around age eleven, Selena began to focus more on her band and concerts than on school work. He started missing a lot of days and falling far behind. During eighth grade Selena decided to stop going to school. To keep up with all of his education, he took courses at the American School of Chicago. Finally in 1989 he earned his GED (General Education Diploma). This document is equivalent to a high school diploma. When she was training at six years old, her father gave her singing lessons along with her brother who was learning to play the guitar. They formed a band and practiced daily. Challenges Faced: Selena was Tejano and she was a woman. This caused her to not be considered as important as male artists. During this time Selena gained fame. After the Mexican-American War, the Tejanos were thought to be inferior to the Anglos and were often controlled by them as well. At the time Selena became famous, the United States had internal problems with Latinos. Being a woman and Latina, it wasn't easy for her to gain fame and fans at a time when not many people liked Latinos. However, with Selena's extraordinary talent, she was able to gain fame in the male-dominated world of Tejano music.