Scholar Stories
First Literacy Scholars are united by their commitment to relentlessly pursuing their goals and creating opportunities for themselves, their families, and their communities. Our scholars come from around the world, from Massachusetts to Sierra Leone, and each of them has overcome significant obstacles to get to where they are today. We are proud to support these scholars as they work to change the narrative of what adult literacy looks like. The scholars listed below have been generous enough to share their stories with us. If you are looking for a full list of all recent scholars, please visit our Scholar Page.
First Literacy 2022-2023 Scholars
Nicole
Nicole was a journalist in her home country of Haiti for 20 years. She was forced to leave Haiti because of volatile political situations bearing...
Dihelin
Dihelin is from the West African country of Togo, where she studied sociology at the University of Togo before moving to the United States. She left...
Diana
Diana is the embodiment of “perseverance pays off” and her children, family and friends can attest to that. At 17 years old, she withdrew from high...
Bushrah
Bushrah was born in Uganda. She is the oldest of five siblings and the first in her family to attend college. Her time in the U.S. has not been...
Catheline
Catheline is from Haiti. In her home country she faced many challenges getting an education. Although she started school in 1968 she didn't graduate...
Anny
Anny lost her mother to cancer when she was just 13 years old. Growing up with her father and three brothers she learned to be strong, grateful, and...
Kimberly
Kimberly was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to the U.S. in search of a better life and educational opportunities. She believes that...
Hajarah
As a 20-year old graduate in Uganda with a bachelor's degree in Accounting, Hajarah was gaining the confidence to make decisions for herself rather...
Juan
Juan immigrated to the U.S. in search of a better life for both himself and his parents. For much of his life he has struggled with a medical...
Fougere
Fougere was born in Haiti and immigrated to the U.S. to seek a better life for himself and his family. When Fougere moved to the U.S. he faced a...
Kevin
Kevin grew up in the Dominican Republic with his mom and siblings while his father worked in the U.S. As a child, he suffered from asthma and spent...
Alesy
“Deep inside me there is space where faith, hope, and gratitude bloom”. Alesy’s story starts on the island country of Cape Verde where from a young...
Sonia
Sonia is the youngest of nine children born in a small town in Brazil. When she was a child her father and his uncle were killed by a drunk driver....
Maria
In 1999 Maria completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of Unicerp in Patrocinio, Brazil. During college and after graduation she worked as...
Viktorija
Viktorija moved to the United States from Latvia and attended high school in a small town outside of Boston. At the age of 18 she moved away from a...
Qiaomin
Qiaomin is from China, where she attended college before moving to the U.S. in 2019. During the coronavirus pandemic, Qiaomin lost her part-time job...
Khadija
From Casablanca, Morocco, Khadija came to the United States in 2016 looking for better opportunities. She was a star student throughout all her...
Kherrina
Kherrina is from Kingston, Jamaica – a city known for it’s vibrant night life and severe economic hardship. Her childhood was not easy. She grew up...
Diana
Diana is from the Dominican Republic where much of the country lives in poverty. She is the first in her family to move to the United States looking...
Brima
Brima is from Sierra Leone, West Africa – a country that has experienced an 11-year civil war, an Ebola virus epidemic, mudslides, flooding,...
Yves
Yves was born and raised in Haiti. When Yves arrived in the U.S. she was met with many challenges. As a single mother of three, Yves struggled to...
Lilian
Lilian came to the United States with her husband and two children to get away from violence that disrupted her family in Brazil. Her first year in...
Katia
In 2005 Katia immigrated to the United States from Brazil. She came to the U.S. in order to receive the training and financial backing necessary to...
Julia
Julia was born and raised in East Boston. With an unconventional upbringing, she and her siblings did not attend school or see doctors. Julia’s...
Gabriela
Gabriela grew up in Venezuela with a love of books inspired by her mother. Outside of her studies she worked on social projects in Caracas, attended...
Yane
Yane faced many challenges when she arrived in the United States in 2019. She needed to balance a full-time job, care for her young son, and...