We are proud to share…
- On December 8th, English Empowerment Center staff spent a day of service with Herndon-Reston FISH (Friendly Instant Sympathetic Help), a local community organization. During this time, we assisted in packing food and toys for needy families in the area during the Holiday season. In total, the program fed over 200 families, and provided around 500 children with toys. It was a great chance to engage with other organizations while strengthening the bonds within our own!
- Seven participants in the English Empowerment Center’s Intensive English and Workforce Readiness IET class attained the Certified Guest Service Professional certification this September. They completed the Guest Service Gold® training and passed the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute exam. This certification recognizes their readiness to provide high quality customer service. Congratulations! Adult English learners interested in this training for the spring can sign up for an in-person class in Herndon or a virtual class. Contact us for more details.
- 28 English Empowerment Center learners earned digital badges demonstrating their mastery of essential digital literacy skills in one or more of these areas: Basic Computer Skills, Internet Basics, and Using Email. Stay tuned for the next newsletter for more information on our rollout of Northstar Digital Literacy to support digital skills instruction!
- The English Empowerment Center was featured in the Human Services Today magazine this January. The article discusses the importance and need for literacy education in the community. Read the article on page 30 of HST's Volume 4, Issue No. 1.
- Executive Director, Roopal Saran, and Director of Academic Programs and Student Services, Xavier Muñoz, were invited speakers on a webinar series in August focused on expanding supports for immigrant integration. The series is part of the Enhancing Access for Refugees and New Americans project, funded by the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education. They spoke about the English Empowerment Center’s work serving diverse populations, particularly adult emergent readers and learners with beginning-level English proficiency.
- Xavier and Instructional Design Manager, Soo Park, were invited speakers for a webinar in November focused on Enhancing Access for Refugees and New Americans in Virginia hosted by the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center. Watch the recording to hear them speak about some of the English Empowerment Center’s strategies for beginning literacy learners and workforce preparation courses.
- The English Empowerment Center Board of Directors had their annual Board Retreat on Saturday, January 7th. The retreat provided an opportunity for many productive discussions, team building, and personal growth. It was a great time to connect; many board members felt it was stimulating, productive, and inspiring!
- On Wednesday, December 7th, the short film, Always Forward, was celebrated at the Angelika Film Center in the Mosaic District. Always Forward was inspired by the book, Indomitable! Immigrants’ Stories of Perseverance and Resilience, written by Margery Leveen Sher, the Vice President of the English Empowerment Center Board of Directors. It was extremely powerful and moving to get a taste of what life is like for new immigrants and refugees in the United States.
Watch the film: Always Forward
Read the book: Indomitable! Immigrants' Stories of Perseverance and Resilience - Destination Workforce® teacher Kobi Carter earned her CELTA this fall! The CELTA is an internationally recognized English language teaching qualification awarded by Cambridge English, part of the University of Cambridge, that provides a structured and practical introduction to teaching English to speakers of other languages.
- Destination Workforce® teacher Darlene Fahrenkrug earned EdTech Leader and Financial Literacy badges from World Education! These badges recognize her for creating a health information website for learners to practice English and digital literacy skills and for curating, evaluating, and aligning adult education resources to support financial literacy. Xavier earned the Workforce Preparation Leader badge for his work curating resources to support learners’ workforce readiness. Explore the growing library of activities being developed as part of the Teaching Skills that Matter/SkillBlox national project.