Success Stories

Marisol Bravo started at Latino Academy of Workforce Development to pursue her GED. She wants to be a good role model for her daughters and is very excited about all the possibilities having her GED affords her.

Listen to her story

Learning to read can be a major feat for a child.  The vowels, consonants, fricatives and contractions all present complexities that can be hard to grasp, even for adult learners.  But for dyslexic learners the challenge can be even more complicated.  The Children’s Dyslexia Center of Madison (CDC) has been working to ease the challenges of dyslexic learners for the past 19 years and has proved to be helpful for more than 200 students.

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Xochitl came to Literacy Green Bay in 2009 because she wanted to be able to read to her daughter in English and help her in school.

Xochitl said, “Some families make the children grow up really fast because they are the only ones who speak English. I didn’t want that for my daughter. That was one of the reasons I started learning English.”

Now she works as a Child Care Teacher in Literacy Green Bay’s ELEvate Family Literacy Program.

Click on her name to read her journey.

Initially formed to help those in the criminal justice system obtain GED certifications and other literacy skills, Buffalo Pepin County Literacy Alliance (BPLA) volunteers soon found that many other community members wanted access to GED accreditation, literacy services and continuing education, and they answered the call.

To read more, click the name above.

Jack, Maria, and their four children waited 8 years to immigrate to the United States from Zambia. Then both Jack and Maria worked for 5 more years on their English and Citizenship through the Literacy Council of Sheboygan County.

On November 1, 2018, they became U.S. Citizens. Jack says this about living in American, “You’re free. You have rights. You are safe—that’s a freedom. You go anywhere you want.”

Click their names to read more of their story

YWCA Southeast Wisconsin's mission to eliminate racism and empower women is at the heart of all they do.

The individuals who go through their HSED program have a life-changing experience that gives them confidence and the tools to succeed.

Click the image to watch their video.

Maria Ollarvez moved to America from Venezuela in 2016 with little knowledge of the English language. While she waited for an individual tutor to help her get individualized support and identify areas for growth, she participated in conversation circles at Fox Valley Literacy Council.

Click on her name to read more of her story.

72-year-old Lonnie Breitung accomplished many goals in his life. He worked as a farmhand, welder, machinist and is the proud grandfather of four. Yet, one goal that remained un-achieved was the ability to read. But in November of 2017, after encouragement from friends and neighbors, he sought out help from the Buffalo-Pepin County Literacy Council and became not only literate but also the 2018 ‘Learner of the Year.’

Click his name to read more of Lonnie's story.

Mr. Jose Ciprian-Ramirez started working on his HSED at the Kettle Moraine Correctional Institution in September of 2017. At first, he struggled to find the value in what he was doing, but with each passed test he gained the momentum to earn his HSED on July 5th.

Click on his name and read his Graduation Speech.

Khao came to the United States three years ago from a Laos refugee camp, but works hard daily to get her GED and learn English. Click her name and read her story.

Tin dreamed of creating a safe life for his family in America. Read Tin's story in the above link.

A son brought his mother Mina into the Marathon County Literacy Council (McLit) and asked for help. She had just moved to Wausau from Morocco and didn't speak any English. Click on her name to hear more of her story.

Edwin dreaded opening his mail. He struggled to tell what was important from what was junk, and felt bombarded by words he couldn’t understand. Click the link above to read more about Edwin's story.

Recent GED/HSED graduate, Amanda Jones has enrolled in Madison College in the College Transfer Program. She is interested in a career in health.

Greater Waukesha Literacy piloted a National Work Readiness Certificate with fantastic results. Click on the link above, to read more about this program.

Reading Connections has been working with an adult male that suffered very significant brain trauma as a result of a motorcycle accident.

Read about how he has written a children's book.

Jim came to Jefferson County Literacy Council wanting to improve his quality of life. To read about what Jim accomplished, click on his name.

Layla and Katie, both parents, wanted to teach their daughters the importance of education by getting their own high school equivalency. Click their names, to read their story.

Determined to get her GED before December, Ana Claudia passed her final test on November 29, 2017! To read more about Ana, click her name above.

Mary Jo, an English Language tutor at One-to-One Adult Literacy Partners, inspired others to help give the gift of literacy.

Click on her name to read her story

Nicholas came to Journey House, his neighborhood literacy council, back in 2001 because he wanted to improve his English language skills. Through his work with Journey House, he received his GED in 2005 and now is working on his citizenship. Click on his name to read his story.