Breaking Barriers:

“Not only are we providing some fundamental skills in education, basic language and numeracy, we are also preparing adults to contribute at a family level and a community level,” explains Jason Kaiser, Executive Director of HECC. The Adult Education program has served clients across 64 countries and 42 different languages, providing five levels of English language instruction and GED prep classes. “These are the foundational skills that are necessary to progress further in areas that they need to provide for their families,” he says.

While Jason began his journey with HECC as a volunteer in the Adult Education program, instructor Mariela Rodriguez began hers as a student after she immigrated from Venezuela to the United States. In Venezuela, Mariela was a professor at the University of Carabobo for fifteen years. Upon relocating to the U.S., Mariela enrolled in HECC’s Adult Education program GED class, then began taking English classes to improve her speaking, writing and reading comprehension. In the program, she went on to be awarded the Seabury Scholarship, which she used to attend Truman College.

Now, Mariela is an instructor in the Adult Education program. “I can connect with the students regarding the fear and uncertainty that comes with being an immigrant, I can feel what they feel,” she explains. “What I’m doing today is because I got a great foundation from my country. And now, I’m giving part of that to my students.”