LEWISTON – Lewiston Adult Education will hold its annual graduation at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 3, at the school. Community members are invited to attend and celebrate the achievements of the more than 100 adult students who have earned their high school or General Educational Development diploma during the academic year.
Most of the students overcame hurdles to reach their goal of a high school diploma. Some are single moms who juggled work and child care and others are dislocated workers who could no longer compete in the job market without high school credentials.
Six students whose first language is Mina/French, Spanish, Ukranian or Somali had the additional challenge of completing their requirements while also learning English.
Amina Muse’s story is just one of the many from this year’s graduating class. Amina, 45, and her husband, Farah Hussein, have seven children ages 6 to 22.
Until 1990 Amina and her family lived in Mogadishu, Somalia, where Amina worked as an elementary school teacher. When civil war erupted in her homeland, the family spent the next 10 years in refugee camps in Kenya. In 2000 they were given the opportunity to come to the United States to begin a new life.
“My ambition is to have a professional job in Maine like I had in Somalia. I want to help children,” Amina said. With the completion of her GED diploma, she has accomplished the first step toward her goal.
In addition to studying four nights a week, Amina worked full time at a dry cleaners and continued to nurture her children. She said, “The people at the Adult Learning Center gave me courage. I will never forget them.”
Amina plans to continue her education and become a teacher once again. She works as an interpreter and office clerk for the Immigration and Refugee Services at Catholic Charities Maine in Lewiston.
The graduation speaker will be E. Michael Brady, PhD, professor of human resource development at the University of Southern Maine. For information, call 795-4141.
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