Emma Torrez

Click to hear Emma's advice for other adult learners.

It was 1992 and Emma Torrez had been out of work for two years. In her late 40s and unable to read or write, Emma was discouraged about her job prospects. That's when she happened to tune in to a TV show starring celebrity chef Curtis Aikens. Emma watched as Aikens confessed to a national audience that he was illiterate and taking adult basic education courses with the support of his employer.

"That totally shocked me," Emma recalls. "Curtis Aikens is my idol."

With help from her brother, who also had trouble reading, Emma visited the Santa Clara (Calif.) Public Library, where she joined a free adult literacy program.

Emma was ambitious and her progress was quick at first. Then she made what she calls a dumb mistake - because she had found a job that required her to read every day, Emma became overconfident, believing she had outgrown the need for a tutor. This went on for seven months until Emma realized her lack of reading and writing skills interfered with her ability to take notes on the job.

"Then I got mad at myself," she recalls. "I told myself, 'You're acting like a jerk. Who do you think you are? Get yourself a tutor and learn to read and write better.' " Today Emma, 58, meets with her tutor twice a week.

Becoming an adult learner has opened many doors for Emma. She now enjoys books about her favorite topic - early California history. She dreams of passing the GED test, going to college, and writing a book of her own. As a learner advocate at READ Santa Clara, Emma earns money as she helps other adult learners, and as chair of the ProLiteracy Worldwide Student Advisory Council, Emma travels far and wide.

But her proudest achievement is close to home. When raising her oldest daughter Mary, Emma couldn't write well enough to send notes to Mary's teachers. This created problems, such as the time Mary forged a note excusing herself from gym class. But by the time Emma's youngest daughter Toni reached high school, Mom had learned a thing or two. Toni couldn't get away with the tricks her older sister pulled, and Mom took pride in the fact she had become a smarter parent.

To other adults who struggle with low-level literacy skills Emma says: "Break out of the embarrassment. Go to the nearest program and ask for help. You're going to learn to read and write for your children, and that will be very rewarding."