This adult learner was bullied in school because he stuttered and had vision problems. He defended himself and ended up fighting often. When he couldn’t keep up with his studies due to being a slow learner, he dropped out of high school. Later on in life, he realized he needed to master his reading and math skills to survive.

The student began visiting Common Place and was matched with a tutor. At first the man was very quiet and unsure how to interact with people. In time, his people skills improved immensely.  He is now able to study on his own and is working hard with his tutor to pass the GED test. Improved reading skills and confidence allowed the man to obtain a job at a local grocery store. He also does maintenance work for Common Place and has reunited with his grandmother. Today, this adult learner is certain he will achieve his goals and believes anything is possible.

“I am honored to congratulate the twenty winners of the 2012 Spotlight literacy awards,” said White. “Many literacy students have overcome tremendous personal difficulties and obstacles to reach this level of achievement. I am also very proud to recognize the tutors for their generosity and encouragement in helping their literacy students achieve their utmost potential.”

The ten students honored for outstanding achievement in developing and improving their literacy skills are:

• Debra Bradford, John Wood Community College, Quincy
• Henry Dillon, Common Place Family Learning Center, Peoria
• Tywonda Edwards, Fishes & Loaves Outreach, Springfield
• Lovell Fisher, Southwestern Illinois College, Belleville
• Lola Jones, De La Salle Tolton Center, Chicago
• Gayla Karns, Frontier Community College, Fairfield
• Hilaria Ochoa, De La Salle Tolton Center, Chicago
• Frantz St. Fort, Indo-American Center, Chicago
• Darrell Taylor, Literacy Chicago
• Supaporn Yip, Albany Park Community Center, Chicago

The ten outstanding tutors honored for their contributions in helping literacy students reach their goals are:

• Lynn Campbell, Peoria Regional Superintendent of Schools, Peoria
• Naomi Crowell, Kaskaskia College, Centralia
• Mary Gercken, South Suburban College, South Holland
• Sister Lucy Giacchetti, SSND, Corazon a Corazon, Chicago
• Lori Hesterberg, Monroe/Randolph Regional Office of Education, Chester
• Yaro Hospodarsky, Rend Lake College, Ina
• Sheela Jeevanandam, De La Salle Tolton, Chicago
• Connie Jenkins, Project READ, Richland Community College, Decatur
• Terry Schlabach, Black Hawk College, Moline
• Rodney Yarger, Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley, St. Charles

Students and tutors are nominated by local providers that receive literacy grant funding from the Secretary of State/Illinois State Library Literacy Office. Each year ten students and ten tutors are honored. Students received a $200 check from the Illinois Press Association Foundation, and a congratulatory plaque and personalized Illinois Blue Book from Secretary White. Tutors also received a congratulatory plaque and personalized Illinois Blue Book from Secretary White, and a $200 donation to their tutoring organization by the Illinois Press Association Foundation.

“The Illinois Press Association is proud to participate in the Spotlight Awards literacy program that honors adult learners and tutors,” said Dennis M. DeRossett, executive director. “By now having the ability to read and to write, these honorees have new opportunities for a much better life for themselves and their families. We congratulate them for breaking through the barriers of illiteracy.”

Last year adult literacy programs that received grant funding provided educational services to 20,837 adult students. A total of 8,193 volunteer tutors statewide provided instruction to help students develop and enhance their reading, writing, math and language skills. Persons interested in becoming volunteer tutors are urged to contact the Illinois Adult Learning Hotline at 1-800-321-9511.

As if growing up with alcoholic parents wasn’t enough of a struggle, this student also struggled through school as a slow learner.  She continued to attend school even after losing both parents at age 15. Once she reached her 21st birthday without graduating, school was no longer an option.  She wanted to join the armed forces but could not meet their educational requirements. Her life went into a downward spiral of alcohol and drug abuse.  She worked in various restaurants but was unable to go beyond that because she lacked reading skills. A talented artist, she managed to supplement her income by painting murals and signs, but her personal relationships did not last and she moved frequently.  Sadly, at age 31, a gunshot wound to her head caused severe brain damage.

The student had to relearn how to read and write at a beginner’s level.  She abandoned drugs and alcohol and began working hard with a tutor in a quest to obtain her GED.  With the help of her tutor, she is now able to read with confidence and comprehends written math problems.  Before taking each section of the GED test, the student and her tutor work through lessons and practice tests.  With hard work,  she is well on her way to completing all five sections of the GED exam and the Constitution test.   In fact, she has become a tutor herself, and enjoys helping a fellow student.  When she completes the GED test, she wants  to become a minister and is looking forward to serving others.

An adult learner who began to attend classes at Black Hawk was extremely emotional. During a typical session with a tutor, the student might giggle like a silly teenager or begin to cry. Her mind darted from subject to subject as fast as her emotions changed, and she couldn’t  focus on a single task.

After working with a tutor, the woman became more focused and increased confidence allowed her to take pride in her successes. She began to learn more quickly and her reading skills improved dramatically. Eventually she even learned to control her emotions. This adult learner gained true self confidence and believes she on her way to a better life.

An Iraqi student lived in the United States for three years before beginning English as a Second Language classes at Asian Human Services. Prior to working with a tutor, she would guess at words she didn’t know because she lacked the skills to break down words into syllables in order to speak and comprehend.

A tutor was assigned to help her work on phonics, word recognition, speaking and writing simple sentences. The two women developed a friendship, and with the tutor’s help, the student gained confidence and improved her ability to form complete sentences. Hard work and dedication enabled her to succeed. She is now fluent enough that she shared her story about her move to the United States at the Chicago Northside Literacy Coalition’s “Night of a Thousand Stars” event last year.

The woman left GED preparation classes and joined the Adult Basic Education program. She continued to struggle and almost dropped out of the program altogether, but she was placed with an experienced tutor to work in a one-on-one setting. They began to work together at a slow pace  in an environment more suited to the woman’s needs.  Almost  immediately, she began to respond and her scores improved. Progress is slow, but she continues to build reading and math skills necessary for her  transition to GED preparation coursework. She is more confident that she will obtain her GED and walk across the stage with her fellow graduates.

A husband and wife in their 60’s arrived in the United States from Ecuador with a dream of becoming U.S. citizens. Although they knew very little English, they decided to prepare for the U.S. citizenship test by enrolling in Centro Romero’s citizenship preparation classes. To pass the test, the couple would need to demonstrate a conversational level of English, a basic knowledge of English literacy and a basic knowledge of U.S. history and civics. The couple began to study one-on-one with volunteer tutors.

Less than one month from the scheduled exam date and six months into their classes, the husband passed away suddenly. Devastated but determined, his widow continued studying for her citizenship test. When she first took the test, she passed everything except basic conversational English. When she retook the test a few months later, she passed. The woman is grateful to the tutors at Centro Romero and thrilled to fulfill her and her late husband’s dream of becoming U.S. citizens. She is continuing her studies and taking even more English classes.

She knows the importance of continuing to learn and has passed that belief on to her children. Her eldest daughter just graduated from high school and is planning to attend LLCC. She attended the ESL class with her mother and after improving her English was able to obtain a job. The other children are also doing well in school. This family has benefited enormously from an outstanding literacy program.

Wanting to find work, the young man mentioned he worked on his family farm in Uganda. The literacy program referred him to a professor on the University of Illinois campus in the agricultural research program. Having improved his English speaking and writing skills, and with his farming background, the young man was hired to work in a laboratory and research garden. He has bonded with people in the agricultural program, continues to improve his English and math skills and is using literacy to enhance his life.

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