The Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded East Mississippi Community College’s Adult Education Department a $10,000 grant to help purchase instructional materials, classroom supplies and software, as well as provide one-time gas cards for students with demonstrated financial need.
“About $5,000 of the grant funds is dedicated to instructional materials,” EMCC Adult Education Director Tshurah Dismuke said. “That is exciting to our instructors, who will be able to update the materials they use in the classroom to teach their students.”
Another $4,500 of the grant funding will be used to renew existing instructional software and purchase new software programs that allow students to study online.
“We are seeing an increase in students from outside our area who are wanting online adult education classes,” Dismuke said. “The use of software is allowing us to increase our online offerings.”
The remaining $500 will be used to purchase $10 gas cards for up to 50 students needing transportation assistance.
“If they are having financial trouble and need some transportation assistance, we will be able to provide that,” Dismuke said.
Known as the “Launch Pad,” EMCC’s Adult Education Department offers free preparatory classes for the GED and HiSET high school equivalency tests at locations in Columbus and on the college’s Golden Triangle, Scooba and West Point campuses.
The program also prepares students for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery and the ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate. Smart Start training is also available to help students develop work-readiness skills such as communication and workplace habits.
“Earning a high school equivalency diploma and enrolling in a training program at EMCC can be a life-changing experience for students in our Adult Education program,” EMCC President Vicki Karolewics said. “We are grateful to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for this grant that will benefit our students and for the exceptional work of our faculty and staff in the Adult Education Department.”
Adult Education staff also provide instruction to inmates at the Kemper/Neshoba County Regional Correctional Facility in DeKalb.
“One of the things we would like to do is to be able to provide them with books and resources that they can actually take back to their housing area to study with,” Dismuke said.
Many Adult Education students continue their education through EMCC certificate and degree programs.
Aberdeen resident Nick Provias enrolled in EMCC’s Adult Education program before earning his high school equivalency diploma and entering the college’s diesel mechanics program.
Provias, who graduated from EMCC earlier this month, said he enjoyed working on heavy equipment owned by his family’s construction company and believed diesel repair would be a good career fit.
While still attending classes, Provias was offered a paid internship with Knight Coach of Starkville, where he attended school in the mornings and worked on buses in the afternoons.
“The Adult Education Department at EMCC opened a lot of doors for me in terms of what I could do to continue my education,” Provias said.
“Nick’s journey reflects the direct pathway from Adult Education into workforce training and employment,” Dismuke said.
The Launch Pad offers both in-person and online instruction, and students may participate in either or both formats.
The grant also will allow EMCC to expand online preparation tools for GED and HiSET testing and workforce training in areas such as resume writing and team building.
EMCC also offers short-term workforce training programs available to Adult Education students in fields including certified nursing assistant, HVAC and machining.
Several Adult Education students completed EMCC’s short-term industrial welding program this past semester.
“This is a strong example of students advancing their skills and positioning themselves for competitive wages in high-demand fields,” Dismuke said.
Among the students to earn a high school equivalency diploma and complete the welding program was Columbus resident Cami Knight.
“High school just wasn’t for me,” Knight said. “I wanted to go to work.”
After working in restaurants, Knight said she wanted more opportunities and enrolled in both the Adult Education and welding programs.
“I enjoy welding and can see myself making a career out of this,” she said. “I would like to get a couple years of experience in the field locally, and then I am hoping to work on the pipeline in Arizona.”
This marks the third time EMCC’s Adult Education Department has received a grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. EMCC was the only community college in Mississippi to receive funding this year.
According to a Dollar General Literacy Foundation news release, the organization distributed a record $16 million in grants nationwide this year to support adult, family and summer literacy programs in the 48 states where Dollar General operates.
“Since the foundation’s inception in 1993, our focus has remained on making meaningful investments in students, teachers and the organizations that support literacy and learning at every stage of life,” said Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. “We are excited to have another record-setting year of helping expand literacy access for learners of all ages.”
Dismuke said the Adult Education program is designed to be a starting point for students seeking additional education and workforce opportunities.
“Students are not limited to earning their high school equivalency,” Dismuke said. “They have the option to enroll simultaneously in career and technical programs while working toward their HSE. This model accelerates their transition into the workforce and increases their earning potential.”
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