monique_thumbIn the spring of 1992, Monique thought she was on track to graduate from Milwaukee Trade & Technical High School. But a week before commencement, she learned from her guidance counselor that she was half a credit short and by that time, summer school classes were full. Monique did not graduate; “I was young and dumb and just said ‘to heck with it’, and I went on to live my life,” she lamented.

In the years that followed, Monique knew she wanted to get her high school diploma under her belt. Her mother, Robin, who was (and still is) an employee of Literacy Services, encouraged her to study at LSW. In 2008, Monique decided to get it done, and she enrolled to prepare for her GED. She took sample tests for each subject area, and it turned out that she remembered much of what she had learned in school more than 16 years ago. With strong test scores across the board, all she needed to focus on was math. “I was pleased that so much that I had learned came back to me so quickly. And I was happy to be in the Literacy Services environment.”

Monique fondly remembered her math tutor: “My tutor was a nice gentleman. He put me at ease with my math skills. He looked at my math test and said, ‘Here is what you need to brush up on’. So we worked together on those skills. And I made a lot of progress working one-on-one with him.”

“I was pleased that so much that I had learned came back to me so quickly.”

Monique was a quick study; in a month she was ready to take the GED exams, all of which she passed on the first try. She had achieved one of her goals; now she dreamed of getting into the travel industry. Because of her success, Literacy Services awarded Monique with a Norman Gill Scholarship. The scholarship enabled her to take a course at The Adelman Travel Academy. Monique enrolled in a course on the travel business and began in earnest to pursue her dream.

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It took time, but Monique realized her dream, and she is now employed in the travel industry. Monique works at Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport for Air Wisconsin, a contractor that provides ground handling services for United Airlines and flight attendants and pilots for US Airlines. “I absolutely love it!” she said. “My studies made this possible.”