At Literacy Volunteers of Tucson: Melisa DeNinno
Wednesday, 02 November 2011 23:27
Lack of literacy was a root case of many social issues, such as poverty, homelessness and drug abuse, Melisa DeNinno thought. And that's why she was happy when she got a job at Literacy Volunteers of Tucson (LVT) as the communications and database manager.
“People need to be able to communicate, and they need to be able to read and write and speak the language of the place they are living in order to make a life for themselves,” DeNinno said. “Many people aren't able to do that when they go through the established system. Literacy is so important that I feel grateful that I actually get to be involved of this kind of job.”
DeNinno graduated from college in San Diego with two majors, Spanish and Anthropology. After college, she moved to Spain, where she taught English for seven years. When she came back to the States, she came to Tucson and taught English as a Second Language classes at Pima Community College and also worked with refugees.
“I love education and communication, so this job is a perfect match,” she said and smiled.
She was also always a good student when she was a child. She was interested in her education and worked very hard in school.
“I'm lucky because my parents always read to me and encouraged to me to learn and to get good grades,” she said. “Some people don't have that chance, and they have to do something later. And we are here to help.”
Because DeNinno has been trying to make communities better, she flashed a big smile when she spoke about the success stories of some of her students at LVT, including one that stands out more than most.
“She works as a security officer and she has to write a report. She has a high school diploma but really struggled with writing and reading. She was always labeled as a troublemaker. Because she couldn't write a report, she would always come up with excuses not to write and go home and have someone to help her. And she was at the point where she was going to lose her job,” DeNinno said. “And she came to us, and since then, she has been doing really well. In fact, she has offered to write an article for our newsletter, which is really exciting. Somebody who was totally ashamed to write is now offering to write for an actual publication.”
The past story about LVT from Borderbeat: Literacy Program Still Running Strong
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