Colorado Adult Education Professional Association
Newsletter

My name is William Coatman. I am a 25 year old student who goes to Aims Community College. I have been here for the past three years, and I am in Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society with a GPA of 3.54. I am writing this on behalf of Center for Adult Learning (CALL) and the teachers and staff including Julie, Marsha, Sondra, Bill, and Joyce. I attended Center for Adult Learning from March 2009 to May 2010. I then graduated and moved on to Aims Community College in the fall of 2011. Without a shadow of a doubt, I would not have succeeded and kept my GPA up if it weren’t for the knowledge, tools, and relationships I developed at CALL.

As a teen, I had a very bad substance abuse problem. I barely passed through middle school, and I attempted to finish high school; however, I was not able to because of the poor mental and physical condition I was in from the abuse. As a result, I lacked the proper knowledge that I needed at that age. I was very disadvantaged. After a long, hard, and painful road, I was very fortunate to get some help. After I was released from treatment in the spring of 2009, I then decided that I needed to get my GED, so I could have a fighting chance in making a living. I was nervous to go back to school because I had never succeeded in school prior to moving to Loveland. However, as soon as I started at CALL, I was instantly welcomed, and I enjoyed my time there. I not only learned what I needed to pass the GED test, I learned far more at CALL than I would have ever learned in high school. This included time management, courage and faith to succeed, determination, and friendships. CALL spends individual time getting to know each student and the trials and obstacles they all face.

Each student who comes to CALL has had some sort of difficulty in succeeding in regular school in the past. Some have past criminal offenses. Some, like me, had substance abuse problems, and others had some circumstance come up that prevented them from attending school when they were supposed to. However, CALL’s teachers and staff help hundreds of these people graduate and move on to college. To tell you the truth, I use all the tools and knowledge I learned from CALL to be so great in college now.