Family Literacy Friday: Stories of inspiration

Though we all encounter challenges in life, some face hurdles seemingly impassable. In time, these roadblocks can come to define us if we never receive an invitation to take the first step.

Across the country, NCFL Family Literacy programs have served as the first step for thousands of families. Last week for Family Literacy Friday, we shared the story of Regina Lynn, one of family literacy’s first students who took a fearful and courageous step away from an abusive relationship onto a road that would ultimately break her family’s cycle of poverty.

As we continue to celebrate National Family Literacy Month®, we remind ourselves that Regina’s story is not the only example of what is possible through hard work and the opportunity that a family literacy program can bring. This Friday we share the stories of four more individuals and families—all of whom spoke at our 2019 Families Learning Conference—in an effort to recognize that a family’s past never defines its future.

We hope you enjoy listening to these former family literacy students as much as we do. Let them serve as examples of all that is possible on the road still ahead.

Chloe Goodman’s family literacy journey began the year the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) was founded, back in 1989. She began taking GED® classes in Louisville through the Kenan Family Literacy Program while her son attended preschool next door. Thirty years later, Chloe’s family is flourishing.

Amanda Perez-Ramirez first joined the Family and Child Education (FACE) program at Chief Leschi School in Puyallup, Washington in 2013. She went on to obtain her GED® and is now in the process of earning her Associates degree.

Peyton Rhone entered the Toyota Family Learning Program in Atlanta in 1997. She went on to earn her GED® and a Bachelor’s degree from Mercer University before beginning a 20 year career with Atlanta Public Schools. Today, Peyton’s son has plans to become a teacher, her daughter is a forensic scientist, and her husband is one class away from attaining his Master’s degree.

Through participating in the Toyota Family Learning program, Guadalupe Maldonado and her son, Diego, have changed their lives and the lives of their generations to come.