HARTFORD -- For 23-year-old Ashley Rodriguez, passing the GED test was something she had to accomplish. After having her son at 16, Ashley dropped out of high school. Seven years later, she knew she had to go back, so she could move forward.
“My son, I had to make it better, show him the better path to say if I finished school, you have to finish school,” said Ashley Rodriguez.
That’s what brought Ashley to Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford. It’s a non-profit organization that focuses on adult literacy, math, writing and advancement. Ashley was part of the GED program.
“My friend, she had told me that this program was best for me because it was a smaller group, and I can’t focus in a big group, so I came here to check it out and I loved it,” she said.
Literacy Volunteers prides itself on individual learning and moving at a pace that the student is comfortable with.
There are no judgments nor questions. There are also no grades and no graded tests. It’s all about a willingness to learn.
“What I love about being here is people have made a choice. Unlike students you meet in school, they’ve made a choice to be here and to change their lives, and I love helping them have a second chance,” said Edlyn Blitzer, a teacher at Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford.
