Student Spotlight: Maung

Hello! My name is Maung, and I’m currently a student at The Literacy Alliance (TLA). I am 18 years old, and I live in Fort Wayne. I have been in Fort Wayne for about eight years. I came to America when I was around two years old. My family is from Burma, but I don’t really remember much about where I was born. I’m the youngest of 6, and most of my family doesn’t know English, so it was very tough when we first came to America. For my schooling, I started from pre-K and kept going up till 11th grade, but I had to stop because my mom was sick. I was taking care of my mom and didn’t have enough time for school because I was living alone with her since most of my siblings had families. I wanted to go back to school because I had forgotten everything. I didn’t have a job and couldn’t even drive because I didn’t have my green card until recently. At first, I was thinking about online school, and I applied, but they were the ones who told me about TLA. Now, TLA is providing the adult education that will help to forge my future.

I’ve been at TLA for about two months now, and the amount of stuff I remembered in that short time is mind-blowing.

I’ve been at TLA for about two months now, and the amount of stuff I remembered in that short time is mind-blowing. I’m now focused on getting my high school equivalency (HSE) diploma to get a job. I’m also considering attending college after my HSE and hopefully learning a few more things there. I’ve seen a lot of people around me look down on me because I don’t have a diploma. “He couldn’t even finish high school. He’s never going to succeed in life.” Hearing stuff like that pushed me to return to school, which is why I came to TLA. I hope I will prove those people wrong for myself and my family.

In conclusion, I am working hard towards my goal, and I would like to thank everyone at TLA for helping me achieve it. I didn’t think I would get a second chance, but I’m thankful I did. For now, I’m doing my best, and if I graduate, I hope to make my family proud. I’m glad organizations like TLA help people like us, and again, I will forever be grateful that I got my second chance.

We are thrilled to announce that Maung achieved his first goal and passed the HSE exam in early April 2024. We can’t wait to see what he accomplishes next!