Success Stories

The Passage of Success

Dear Readers:

Hopefully, by the time you read this I will have closed on a house and officially become a first time home-owner. Exactly 10 years ago, I set myself the goal of purchasing a lakefront home large enough for my family to visit me all at once. I did not want a single visitor to have to ever worry about footing a hotel bill when they came to visit. This was a lofty goal for a girl who at the time was living in a studio apartment in Manhattan. Last I checked there are no lakes on the island of Manhattan, and when I set this goal for myself, I had no intention of moving. Well, 10 years of saving, which included not driving a car or having cable TV, has paid off. For me, setting this goal and reaching it within the time frame (down to the day believe it or not) is what I consider success! Now I’m in a privileged position to be able to define success in this way. While this is a personal success, a triumph for me, success is not just about accolades and material accomplishments.

The Compact Oxford English Dictionary (OED) offers 3 definitions for the noun version of the word success: 1) the accomplishment of an aim or purpose, 2) the attainment of fame, wealth, or social status, and 3) a person or thing that achieves success. The same dictionary defines a success story as “a successful person or thing.” The word success originally from the Latin word successus from succedere translates into “come close after.” The translation “come close after” aligns with the modern day definition of the word succession, “a number of people or things following one after the other.” I think this is a wonderful way to think about success, something that any number of people can obtain and achieve one right after another. In this way, success would be a rite of passage as opposed to what can sometimes feel like an elusive quest. Success would come easily for everyone. Unfortunately, success is not always a given. And while it might be easy to define success, it is often harder to measure it. How do we know when we’ve become a success? What is the barometer by which we measure success? Do we define the parameters for ourselves or do others do it for us? And whose success stories do we share? Whose success are we honoring and whose are we neglecting?

In this edition, we share the stories of several adult learners who have triumphed overcoming obstacles and adversity to arrive on these pages. These learners narrate their own success stories, and as such, we celebrate their successes on the following pages. Their stories serve as an inspiration, and by examining these adult learners’ achievements, we illustrate the barriers and determination used to overcome them. These learners’ stories demonstrate the power of an education. These stories speak not just to the success of the adult learners but also to their families and their teachers who helped pave the way for their success.

In this edition, you will read how Esther Hernandez’s attending classes has “helped her feel like a complete woman with much courage and valor to accomplish her dreams” (p. 12). You will learn how the First Lady’s Family Literacy Program served as a vehicle to helped Mirna Hernandez fulfill her dreams and goals. In Charlie Dorris’ article, you will read how he was able to overcome his addictions and make “better choices for a better life” (p. 4). Tony Ballard in his story also shares how he struggled in a “world full of greed and hate” (p. 5) to overcome his addictions and obtain his GED. Salvador Martinez’s and Guillermina de Garcia’s individual stories tell how work and patience has led to their feelings of success. Denise Perez in her very poignant article writes that “hope is the last thing one loses,” and finally after much waiting, but before losing hope, the door of opportunity opened for her. And finally in Manuel Sanchez Jimenez’s story, we learn how having a professional degree in one’s home country does not necessarily guarantee success here in the United States. Rather it is one’s family that offers strength and courage to persevere toward success.

Traditionally, Literacy Links has featured success stories in the fall issue. Our “Success Stories” issues are touted as a favorite by administrators, learners, and teachers. We have broken with tradition and are publishing our Literacy Links “Success Stories” issue now as we are also working on a compilation issue of success stories taken from the 2003-2005 editions of Literacy Links. The compilation is composed of success stories written entirely by adult learners for adult learners. Along with its accompanying Teacher’s Guide, reprinted with permission from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the compilation is designed as an instructional tool to be used both in the classroom and in tutoring situations. We hope you will find the compilation as useful as you have found previous “Success Stories” editions of Literacy Links.

I think it is important to note that as I use these learners’ stories to reflect on my own year, which has been filled with both obstacles and successes, I am reminded that success is not just about tangibles and things that can be measured, but rather it is about relationships with others. Success is larger than just possessions and overcoming obstacles to arrive at a set goal. It is about how many lives we manage to touch. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!” If this truly becomes our measuring stick, then all of us will have the opportunity to pass through the rite of passage deemed success.

Happy Reading,

Dr. Dominique T. Chlup
Director of TCALL &
Principal Investigator on the Clearinghouse Project