Maria Acevedo is one of Community Education’s most recent high school equivalency graduates. A dedicated student of over two years who walked to class each day no matter the weather, she was known in the One Cumberland Street building for her smile and fierce determination. Even a pandemic and transition to fully remote learning couldn’t stop her from achieving her dream!

As millions of students across the country are finishing up their school year online, IU13 students are no exception. Learning from home during a pandemic is not an easy task, but many students accepted the challenge. One of those students is Gabriel Restrepo, a High School Equivalency (HSE) student in Lebanon. 

Gabriel started in Deb Smith’s HSE class in January of this year. Just as he was beginning to think about taking his first HiSet test, the IU13 buildings closed and all classes moved online. Undeterred, Gabriel has been a faithful student and has participated in almost 35 hours of online instruction via Zoom since mid-March. He has also completed learning activities on websites and apps such as Readworks, Quizlet, Kahoot, Khan Academy, and the HiSet preparation course offered through New Readers Press.

Success Stories - Jennifer Remlinger

Jenn began the Family Literacy program in November 2008 and graduated with her High School Equivalency diploma the following May. At that time, Jenn’s daughters were six and four years old, and Jenn was working full-time as a cook at Fort Indiantown, Gap. As a single mom, she had to juggle many responsibilities, and that meant that she could only study late at night after her daughters went to bed. Undeterred, she says that “I knew I had to do this for them, so whenever I would think I couldn’t do this, I would think about them and how I didn’t want to disappoint them.”

Donna has worked for the IU13 for almost 18 years. A graduate of Cedar Crest College, Donna has held many positions at the IU13 including English as a Second Language teacher, High School Equivalency teacher, Family Literacy teacher, Professional Development specialist, and Professional Development consultant for the statewide family literacy program. Her current role is Community Education Supervisor, which she has done for almost three years. Donna’s favorite part of working for the IU13 is the variety of teaching opportunities and the dedicated and passionate staff. Donna also notes that “the IU13 is a great organization to work for – they really have their values [and] your own values can align with the values of the organization.” Donna first got involved in community education in 1995 when she volunteered to teach English to a refugee family in Allentown. She continues to be passionate about refugee causes and currently volunteers her time with a refugee family through her church. In retirement, Donna looks forward to traveling, volunteering, and having more time to spend with her husband and nine grandchildren.