Former Student Now Teaching

One of the joys of being a part of a school that has been around for more than five years is getting to witness the cycle of former students returning to help other families. Two years ago, Hawa Mohamed attended the ESOL program with her twin sons Maged and Magdi, who were in the preschool room. Conscientious students with perfect attendance, Hawa and her sons eventually "graduated" from our program in 2013 and Hawa went on to take additional English classes at the Technical College. Two years after graduating from Mommy & Me, Hawa is pursuing her GED with the long term goal of attending nursing school. In the meantime, we are delighted that Hawa has returned to Mommy & Me to work as an Assistant Children's Teacher in the preschool classroom.

Hawa is a nurturing and attentive children's teacher. Helpful, patient and loyal, she has helped create a warm and inviting environment in the pre-K room for the children, and she is a mentor to the mothers currently enrolled in our program. What is more, Hawa personifies our family literacy vision: equip mothers and children with the skills they need to succeed in school and in their community, and in turn, they will give back to that . When Hawa and her children completed the Mommy & Me program, they were not nearly finished. This is because, Refugee Family Literacy Program is not a finish line but a launch pad. Our hope for all our students is that when they leave our halls they will have the skills, community capital and confidence they need to continue to work toward their goals.

In the next few months, we will be posting more stories about some of our graduates and current students who are transforming their own lives and their families'.