WCC spotlights Adult Education students for Adult Education and Family Literacy Week 2021

Wallace Community College spotlights Adult Education students for Adult Education and Family Literacy Week September 19 – 25, 2021

September 19 – 25 has been declared Adult Education and Family Literacy Week 2021 in the state of Alabama and Wallace Community College-Dothan is highlighting several Adult Education success stories to celebrate their achievements during this week. Adult Education and Family Literacy Week is designed to showcase the many services that Adult Education programs throughout the state and the US provide to help people become better for themselves, their families, and their communities.

“When people are given the opportunity to acquire basic life skills–reading, writing, math computation, and even the acquisition of the English language–it changes their lives for the better,” says Barbara Steger, Wallace Community College Director of Adult Education. “It helps to lift them out of poverty, find and keep sustainable employment, helps parents be able to assist their children academically, helps to lower healthcare costs, and increases a person’s self-image.”

Latoya Patton enrolled in Wallace’s Adult Education classes July 2021 but she has already received her National Career Readiness Certificate – ACT WorkKeys and is now enrolled in Salon and Spa Management program. Patton is both working towards her GED and attending Wallace. In addition to her Salon and Spa Management coursework, Patton plans to take business courses to further her ambition of owning her own salon.

Morgan Tasker struggled with anxiety and depression as a teen. Feeling desperate and isolated even though she was an involved high school student, she attempted to take her own life at the age of 15. Her recovery was difficult, but she found a helping hand in Wallace Community College’s Adult Education program. The individualized instruction helped Tasker’s anxiety and gave her the confidence to go forward. After earning her GED, Tasker is now a student in Wallace’s nursing program.

Jaxon Puckett enrolled in Wallace Community College’s Adult Education program in the summer of 2021 at the age of 16. He felt he was not making adequate progress in his high school classes, and when COVID forced schools to go virtual, his grades began to slip. His mother suggested that he get his GED, and Jaxon was instantly engaged with the friendly Adult Education staff and the small group and individualized instruction. He earned his GED by the end of the summer, and is enrolled in the Electrical Technology program at Wallace on the Sparks Campus in Eufaula. He plans to obtain his certification in Welding Technology as well.

Wallace Community College’s Adult Education Department provides academic instruction up to the college level. The Wallace Community College Adult Education Department is dedicated to assisting adults who are interested in one or more of the following: GED® preparation classes, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, College and career preparation, Academic support, Basic literacy instruction for adults learning to read, Pre-pathways to CDL, CNA, HVAC, and Electrical Technician, and the Next Step Youth Program for out of school youth ages 16-24 who are eligible for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funding .

For more information on the Adult Education program at Wallace Community College, please contact Barbara Steger at bsteger@wallace.edu or 334-556-2374.