Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 3A
Photo by Scott Thompson
Jose’ Roa, center, last month became the first student to complete the new
Spanish-language GED classes being offered by Adult Literacy Barrow and
earn his GED. Roa is pictured with instructor Veronica Balderas, left, and Sally
Brown, executive director of Adult Literacy Barrow.
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Adult Literacy Barrow sees
early success with free
Spanish-language GED classes
By Scott Thompson
sthompson@barrownewsjournal.com
Since he was a little boy growing up in
Mexico, Jose’ Roa’s dream has been to
become an architect. And he has goals of
eventually applying to Lanier Technical
College's drafting technology program
to help him along that career path.
But first, the Barrow County resident
has to become comfortable conversing in
English, a skill that he has been work
ing on through English-as-a-second-lan-
guage (ESL) classes offered by Adult
Literacy Barrow (ALB) at the Wimberly
Center for Community Development in
Winder. And while Roa knows learning
a second language is a daunting task,
he was given perhaps a quicker leg up
this summer through ALB’s new Span
ish-language classes that have helped put
him down a faster path to his dreams.
Roa. who relocated from his home
state of Guanajuato, Mexico, to northern
California for three years before moving
to Georgia, came to Barrow County a
year and a half ago and works full-time
during the day as an auto body techni
cian. He takes night ESL classes at the
Wimberly Center, and last month he be
came the first student in the classes to
pass all four sections of testing and earn
his GED, completing the program in
roughly three months’ time.
It was a proud moment for Roa when
he earned his GED.
“Indeed, yes,” Roa said through in
terpreter Veronica Balderas, his ESL
instructor, when asked if he enjoyed the
classes. “(The instructors) are always
helping me.”
The free GED classes are offered
Tuesday and Thursday mornings at the
Wimberly Center and have blossomed
to an enrollment of around 30 students
since ALB launched them in June. Sally
Brown, executive director for the non
profit, who is also a GED instructor, said
three or four more students are close to
obtaining their GED, and students can
simultaneously take the ESL classes on
Monday and Wednesday along with the
GED classes, just like Roa did.
Brown said the idea of developing
the Spanish-language GED classes was
sparked largely by the option the com
pany that administers the GED gives for
students to take the tests in different lan
guages.
“(Many of the Spanish-speaking GED
students) work all day and have kids, and
that’s a lot, but they still come in and
do the work.” Brown said. “The normal
process we’ve done for years is corral
them through the ESL classes first and
then they go through getting their GED.
And so this is reversing the order where
they can take both at the same time and,
like Jose", quickly get their GED and
improve their educational skills while
learning English instead of waiting until
their English is good enough to take the
GED test.”
The newer order “is more comfortable
for them,” Balderas added.
Brown said ALB’s class offerings also
provide more accessibility by being free
and being easier to enroll in.
“From the research we’ve been doing,
there are Spanish GED classes available
in the area, but they have to pay for them
and they’re only allowed to do a certain
amount of studying per semester and
have to pay per semester, so that starts to
add up,” Brown said. “Here, it’s free, and
then there’s daycare here (at the Wimber
ly Center) and transportation available
to them to help them be able to come to
classes.”
Brown also noted that students who
take ESL classes through Lanier Tech or
the Technical College System of Georgia
are required to provide U.S. identification
to enroll, but ALB allows them to enroll
in its classes with their home-country ID.
By attending the ESL and GED classes,
students are able to work toward obtain
ing a green card and U.S. documentation,
and Brown said she would like to see the
new ALB program continue to grow and
have more successes and encourage the
state legislature to streamline the TSG’s
process in the future.
The new setup at the Wimberly Center
is especially advantageous for Roa, who,
once he becomes more comfortable con
versing in English, plans to take ALB’s
citizenship class and become an official
U.S. citizen after completing it.
Roa’s accomplishment and the prog
ress of her other students has also been
fulfilling for Balderas, who, after work
ing 17 years in accounting, said she be
lieves she’s found her calling as an in
structor.
“That’s my passion,” Balderas said. “I
never thought I would be a teacher, but
working in accounts payable was killing
me and now I love going to my classes
and helping my students. Like soldiers
say, I never leave a soldier behind, and I
will always work to get them to the same
level.”
Roa said the best advice he can give
to students taking the classes is to figure
out their passion and work toward their
goal through that lens. He relayed a story
from his youth where one of his teach
ers told his class they needed to come to
school to learn to get a “better job in the
future.”
“I want to further my education to be
able to do a better job at what I enjoy do
ing,” Roa said. “You won’t even call it
a job if you enjoy and love what you’re
doing. You want to do something you’re
passionate about.”
‘Out of Darkness’ walk for
suicide prevention set for Sunday
The Barrow County “Out of Dark
ness” Walk, aimed at raising funds for
suicide-prevention efforts, will be held
Sunday, Oct. 24, starting at First Chris
tian Church. 275 North 5th Ave., Wind
er.
Registration intake Sunday will begin
at 1 p.m.. followed by introductions at
1:45 p.m. and the walk at 2 p.m. The
event will also include numerous ser
vice agency informational booths and
a raffle supported by local businesses,
event organizers said.
According to data from the Ameri
can Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Georgia chapter, there were 1,585 sui
cides in Georgia in 2019. and Barrow
County was among 30 counties in Geor
gia above the statewide suicide rate in
the 10-year period from 2010-2019.
“Together we can save lives and bring
hope to those affected by suicide,”
event organizers said in a news release.
“During this pandemic, mental health is
even more critical for our communities
and we must use our voices, together.”
Funds raised from the Out of the
Darkness walks allow A.F.S.P. to fund
research, create educational programs,
advocate for public policy and support
survivors of suicide loss, according to
the release. Administrative and fund
raising costs were kept to 15.7% last
year, which foundation leaders said was
far below the industry standard of 25%.
For more information on Sunday’s
walk, go to www.afsp.org/barrowcoun-
ty. Information about the Georgia chap
ter of AFSP is available at afsp.org/
Georgia.
“You’ll be proud you made a differ
ence (by registering),” organizers said.
Submitted photo
Barrow County resident Betty Arnold, second from right, recently paid off her home
that was constructed more than 20 years ago in a community effort led by Barrow
County Habitat for Humanity,
20-year investment pays off for Barrow
Habitat for Humanity homeowner
In June 2000, Betty Arnold was cho
sen as a recipient of a new home built
by Barrow County Habitat for Human
ity.
This month, she completed her mort
gage and now owns the home free and
clear. Building her home was a “labor
of love,” Habitat leaders said, not only
for her family but also for the Barrow
County community.
Volunteers came forward from local
businesses, churches, youth groups,
civic organizations, family members
and friends.
Proceeds from the Summer’s End
5000, donations, and grants helped pro
vide the funds to build her house, along
with the house payments from the first
two homeowners, the Marc Smith fam
ily and Kathy Moedjio.
Barrow County Habitat for Humanity
was formed in 1995 by the Rev. Roger
Vest of Harmony Grove United Meth
odist Church in Auburn.
“The idea behind Habitat is that it
provides and hand up, not a hand out,”
leaders said.
With a near 0% default rate, Barrow
Habitat’s original families are still in
their homes, with four of them already
paying off their mortgages, leaders said.
Arnold, a minister with the Move
of God Church, believed in her new
home before she was even selected.
She continued to pray through the con
struction of the homes built before hers
while she earned her “sweat equity,” a
requirement of Habitat for Humanity.
She worked on both homes built before
hers, on her own home, and the homes
following hers.
Home ownership was a dream for Ar
nold, and her dream came true. Every
day in a journal she wrote, “Thank you,
Jesus, for my house.” She still has the
journal today.
Paul Brown, the president during
the construction of Betty’s home, said:
“Betty was, and is, the perfect Habitat
for Humanity volunteer and home own
er. We’re so happy she is mortgage-free
and loves her home. It’s very rewarding
to see the investment of hard work and
prayers pay off.”
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