Adult Education Program - Literacy Council of Alaska

Do you want to keep celebrating GED graduates with us? Head over to the Literacy Council of Alaska page and like that page to continue to see big wins like Leilani earning her GED! 👏👩‍🎓🥳

The Adult Education Program is moving to the Literacy Council of Alaska page. Be sure to like the LCA page to stay up to date on what's going on!

Check back in June to get started!

Congratulations to our newest graduates, Katrina and Corbin! These two are rural students who did all of their studying online and over the phone. Great job on your hard work and determination, we are so proud of you!

The ELL program hosted the Golden Heart Clean Up Day today at the Literacy Council. We got quite a bit of garbage just cleaning up around Gaffney Rd and the parking lot. We ended our garbage-picking party with a cookout where our volunteers enjoyed some hot dogs, snacks and hot drinks. Thank you to staff, students and community members for helping keep our city clean!

Our staff pick this week is 'Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs' by Wallace Stegner, chosen by Justine Schmidt

"Wallace Stegner lived next door to my parents until he died the year I was born. So I grew up surrounded by all his books! It is always hard for me to pick a favorite but this one reminds me so much of growing up and being at home in the Western US that it is always one of my top 3 of his works. Whenever I need to remember those dry, hot summers, or the joy of finding a perfect mountain meadow, or even the ridiculousness of our huge cities in the Western Deserts, this is the book I pick up. As a bonus, this book exposed me to two other not-to-be-missed nature writers and historians of the land: Wendell Berry and George R. Stewart. Just in case you need some more names to check out." :)

Justine started working at LCA in March as our Rural Student Coordinator! Justine loves anything outdoors but when they do have to be inside they prefer to be reading. Justine loves working with and learning from all their rural students. It's not unusual for their phone calls and zoom meetings to include long discussions about whaling, moose or the pains of getting to medical care! If you or someone you know is interested in completing their GED, contact us at (907) 456-6212!

Delta Junction! Go see Justine and Linnea TODAY at the Delta Career Advancement Center to learn about education and career opportunities available to YOU! They'll be there till 6pm!

Our ELL teacher Bunny started out as a volunter with the Literacy Council in 2021 before she joined as staff earlier this year. She is well-known to students and staff for her bubbly personality and always ready for a new challenge. Bunny is a long-time Fairbanksian and has grown up wanting to work with the LCA, so working with the LCA is like a dream come true to her. Bunny speaks Japanese and knows ASL, and has a deep interest in learning about other cultures. She has always been such an includer and we love that about her!

Sadly she is leaving us soon to teach in Japan 😢 We will miss her but we know she will continue to do amazing things in her life.

Thank you Bunny for all the amazing work you have done with the LCA!

Show Bunny some love in the comment!

From right: Tasneem, Alejandra, Sujata, Bunny, and Jina at the Tanana Valley State Fair.

Our ELL teacher Sooyoung started out as a volunter with the Literacy Council before she joined as staff. She received the Glavinoch Award from the LCA due to her outstanding volunteerism in 2018, and has continued to provide stellar service to our ELL students. Known for being a fantastic grammar teacher, Sooyoung enjoys sharing her knowledge of local places in town with students through field trips and our monthly Coffee Social, whch she started hosting during the pandemic as a way for students to socialize outside of class.

Thank you Sooyoung for all your hard work!

From right: Misaki, Mayra, Glenda, Sooyoung, and Sujata at Museum of the North at UAF.

Holly DeLand is our wonderful Instructor and Administrative Assistant in our ELL Department. Her book recommendation is ‘A Severe Mercy’ by Sheldon Vanauken.

Well, who doesn't love love? It's a thoughtful non-fiction story of a couple's relationship and journey together through life, faith, and loss. It's been a long time since I read it, but I appreciated the authentic rawness of their real story. I think it was helpful for me too to see, that although they dearly and authentically loved each other, they purposefully took their love off of the pedestal "the shining barrier" as they had called it, once they found deeper purpose in Christ.

Holly’s first interaction with the Literacy Council was in 2009 when she was still in Anchorage and ordered a textbook from Forget-Me-Not Books online. Later, when she was considering moving to Fairbanks, She called LCA and asked about volunteer positions in the ELL department. She moved to Fairbanks for UAF and started volunteering at LCA in 2011, and was able to get an Americorp position. A year later Holly took on a leading roll in the ELL Program and has been loving it since.

Another amazing ELL teacher is Tasneem Muhammad. Her book recommendation is ‘China Dolls’ by Lisa See.

"I thought this book was brilliant! It tells the story of three girlfriends from different backgrounds and how they helped each other as they went through all the trials and tribulations in life. I grew up with 2 sisters so I really enjoyed this book. I thought the ending was very well done. I was certainly shocked at how it all turned out, but I could empathize with why the characters behaved the way they did. I always enjoy Lisa See's books so I highly recommend this one!"

Tasneem enjoys creating a welcoming space for her students who come from all over the world. She also loves being able to affect change and impact lives in positive ways through her work in the ELL department at LCA!