TJACE Celebrates Adult Learners

Staff at Thomas Jefferson Adult Career Education at Piedmont Virginia Community College (TJACE@PVCC) create a variety of special opportunities to recognize the dedication and achievements of adult learners.

Academic awardee Abdulrahim Mohamad smiles modestly as he faces the camera; next to him is his beaming teacher, Cherry Stewart — Abdulrahim Mohamad, pictured here with his teacher, Cherry Stewart

Academic and Leadership Awards

At the 2025 PVCC Annual Academic and Leadership Awards Convocation, Abdulrahim Mohamad received the PVCC ELL Student Academic Award. Mohamad was recognized for his dedication to learning and for the kindness and support he gives to classmates.

photograph of Jose Sosa, smiling, at the awards ceremony — Award recipient Jose Sosa

Receiving the PVCC GED^® Student Academic Award was Jose Sosa. Jose “is the definition of determination. He is a dedicated student, all while running his own business! He always comes to class prepared for work and has a curiosity that motivates his learning. His questions in class show how he looks at things from other perspectives.” At the time of the convocation Sosa had passed two GED^® tests “due to lots of studying” and was feeling the positive momentum as he worked toward completing his final two subjects.

Commencement Exercises

GED^®graduate Sally Carr was a featured speaker at the 2025 PVCC Commencement Exercises, where GED and workforce credential earners were recognized alongside other PVCC degree and credential recipients. “TJACE was there for me when I needed help the most,” said Carr. “By getting my GED, I’ve been able to overcome the obstacles that have been stopping me from making progress.” You can view the full speech online (Carr’s remarks run from 26’17” to 30’36”).

PVCC will hold its 53rd Commencement Exercises, honoring the Class of 2026, on May 11.

photograph of Sally Carr, in cap and gown, speaking at the podium during PVCC commencement — Commencement speaker Sally Carr

Highlighting Student Voices

photograph shows adult learners lined up across a stage, preparing for their turn at the podium — 2025 VOICES of Adult Learners

The 29th Annual VOICES of Adult Learners celebration was held on March 20, 2025, at PVCC as part of the Virginia Festival of the Book. Twenty four students read their award-winning stories and poems about family, work, education and belonging. Adult learners from Charlottesville’s sister city in Besancon, France, also contributed stories to the collection.

The 30th Annual VOICES of Adult Learners celebration was held on March 19, 2026.

Several TJACE students have also been published in The Change Agent, an online publication by and for adult learners. The February 2025 issue, Digital Tools at Work, School, and Everyday Life, included “A Strong and Daring Girl” by Phatchari Laecho, “A Strange Love Story” by David Jesus Martinez Lopez, “Technology Changes How Migration Feels” by Mari Jose Iglesias, and “Who Am I Face-Timing With?” by Yanyan Du.

a cluster of photographs shows head shots of four smiling adults, along with the colorful cover of an issue of The Change Agent — Four adult learners from TJACE instructor Jay Kuhlmann’s ESL 5 class had writing featured in the February 2025 issue of The Change Agent.

The Change Agent’s November 2025 edition, Awareness, Adaptation, and Advocacy, featured “New Skills” by Alper Cakir and “Social Media for Raising Awareness” by Jihong Hwang. The February 2026 edition, Seeing the Whole Person, included “Access Makes All the Difference” by Emmanuel Safari, “My Uncle and Me” by Dmitry Korolev, and “That Boy” by Anna Feshchenko.

(Note that you will need to log into The Change Agent website to read learners’ work; Virginia adult educators and their learners currently have free access with username VALRC and password VALRC2025.)

COABE Conference

photograph of two cheerful posing in a conference center hallway — Suzannah Herrmann Tobin & Nataly Pavelko at COABE 2025

The Coalition for Adult Basic Education (COABE) sponsors the world’s largest adult education conference, with over 3,000 conference attendees. TJACE ESL instructor Suzannah Herrmann Tobin and former student and volunteer Nataly Pavelko attended the 2025 COABE Conference in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Tobin presented TJACE’s recently developed Entrepreneurship course for English Language Learners. Funded through Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) under Title II, this course is an Integrated Education Training (IET) that combines content on English Language Skills and Entrepreneurship.

Nataly Pavelko, a former student and volunteer with the Entrepreneurship course at TJACE, attended COABE as a student leader representative from the Commonwealth of Virginia to collaborate with student leaders from other states.

Festival of Cultures

TJACE partnered with UVA Health to sponsor the 2025 Festival of Cultures. TJACE students showcased themetic exhibits on food, dance, crafts, customs, education, and family from their home countries. ESL Speaks presented scenes from the contemporary play Anon(ymous) by Naomi Iizuka.

Health information booths, children’s activities, music, and international food were available for over 600 attendees including Charlottesville Mayor Juandiego Wade.

The 2026 Festival of Cultures will be held on Saturday, June 6, at the Brooks Family YMCA in Charlottesville.

TJACE @PVCC offers instruction for area adults to help enhance core academic skills and earn a high school diploma or GED^® credential, improve English Language Skills for speakers of other languages (ESL), and prepare for next career steps through integrated education and training programs. Becky Payton and Eliza Wheeler contributed information to this article.