ASPIRE STUDENT GIVES ADDRESS AT CORPORATE EVENT

Former Aspire student Joseph Taylor was invited to share his story at the Dollar General annual corporate meeting held in Dallas on February 2. Joseph addressed a room of 400 people, including the CEO of Dollar General and the entire Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy team. This was Joseph's first time to speak publicly about his journey, and he was very nervous backstage. However, when he was announced and walked out in front of that large crowd, he was electric. His story was inspiring, and his delivery was thoughtful and compelling. Joseph shared the struggles he endured in his youth and the promise he made to his mother to finish his education. He spoke about how Aspire played a pivotal role in helping him become more confident in himself and discovering his love of reading. When Joseph finished his speech, the crowd erupted into cheers and gave him a standing ovation. We are thankful for students like Mr. Taylor and are proud to be their partners as they make the brave decision to change their lives.

Please read Joseph’s story below.

Joseph was born in 1947 in Monroe, Louisiana. His parents were sharecroppers and had eleven children—each one and a half years apart. Struggling to feed, clothe, and house their children, his parents needed them to work in the cotton fields to help support the family. Due to the amount of work required, the children had very little access to school, much less a quality education causing Joseph and his siblings to fall quickly behind. "We all had some sort of talent that we wanted to explore but didn't have the education to understand how to find a stepping up point."

His mother's wish for him was always to go back to school. Joseph told her he would, but work and the continued need to support the family blocked his way. In 1964, they moved to Dallas, where he married, raised his children, and worked hard as a truck driver until his retirement. "I still had this cloud over my head. My mom kept telling me to always go back to school, but I was working, making money for my family." Once retired, Joseph thought of his mother and the promise he made to continue his education.

Joseph first enrolled at LIFT in Sequential English Education—an English language literacy series designed to accommodate such needs through a structural-linguistic approach. Since he began attending classes, Joseph feels more confident and finds himself reading at night and noticing that "the more I read, the more I thirst." He is understanding words he once struggled with and has the confidence to take on the challenge and make good on his promise. "Everything that happened in my youth was like planting a garden; I'm yielding a crop from it now. I feel good. Maybe what I went through was put before me in order to appreciate what was to come."

Important Dates

• 03-04-2022
   National Grammar Day

• 03-14-2022 - 03-18-2022
   Spring Break

• 03-17-2022
   Saint Patrick's Day

• 03-31-2022
   Toast to Literacy Auction

• 05-26-2022
   Last Day of Spring Classes

• Fall 2022
   Legacy of Literacy
   Breakfast

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