Oakland Literacy Council is proud to sponsor the Opportunity Workforce Summit, a free, one-day conference connecting immigrant and refugee job seekers with employers, workforce organizations, education and training providers, and community partners. We encourage tutors to share this opportunity with their ESL students. Attendees can explore career opportunities, build new skills, connect with employers, and access valuable community resources. The summit will take place on Tuesday, September 22, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Schoolcraft College’s Vista Tech Center in Livonia.

Oakland Literacy Council is excited to welcome author Curtis Chin as the featured speaker for Ex Libris, our signature annual fundraising dinner, on October 21 at The Village Club in Bloomfield Hills.

Detroit native Curtis Chin is the bestselling author of Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant. Curtis is also a filmmaker and activist whose work explores identity, community, and the Asian American experience. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Curtis’ acclaimed memoir Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant, recounts his experiences growing up in his family’s restaurant in Detroit’s Chinatown while navigating race, family, and coming of age.

There are many ways to become a sponsor for Ex Libris 2026. You can purchase tickets to the event or view the sponsorship form using by clicking here. OLC hopes you join us to Ignite the Future!

Thanks to our donors, adult learners like Mariana Chavez are graduating from Oakland Literacy Council’s education program this quarter with proficiency in the English language and other academic skills. Every day, Mariana Chavez uses her bilingual language skills to connect families with community resources through storytelling and community outreach.  

Originally from Mexico, Mariana learned about Oakland Literacy Council through partner organization Centro Multicultural La Familia, where she is the Communications and Graphic Design Coordinator.  

Mariana enrolled at OLC to strengthen her reading and listening English skills. While enrolled, Mariana received a pay raise. Her growing English proficiency helped strengthen her confidence in workplace communication and professional development. Her work centers on helping immigrant and underserved communities access information through clear, inclusive communication.  

“I lead creative and strategic efforts to amplify the voices of underserved communities through inclusive storytelling and accessible design. My role bridges visual communication and digital strategy—I develop bilingual campaigns, manage our brand identity across platforms, and design culturally resonant materials for outreach, education, and advocacy,” Mariana says.   

“Whether I’m creating social media content, managing website updates, or crafting materials for community events, I focus on clarity, empathy, and impact,” Mariana explains.  

Today, Mariana uses her creativity and communication skills to help families feel informed, welcomed, and connected. She recently graduated in reading and improved her listening skills.  Through Oakland Literacy Council, she continues building the language skills that support both her career and the community she serves. 

A four-week bootcamp helped accelerate the progress of eight Oakland Literacy Council’s GED candidates toward their high school equivalency degree.

All of the adult participants in the intensive bootcamp gained confidence while improving their math skills, with five of the eight earning passing scores on GED’s practice math subject test by the last day of the class.

The GED Math Bootcamp met two evenings a week for four weeks with instructor Laura Wicklund, a member of the math faculty at Oakland Community College who said she took the position as a way to give back to the community.

“I think we formed a support group in this class. I did see a lot of students who would work

together and help each other out. It was a really good environment, I thought that everybody was really polite and came in with great attitudes,” Laura said.

A grant from Kirk in the Hills Church enabled OLC to pilot the bootcamp focused on the math portion of the GED test, which is the most challenging subject area to pass.

“Nationally, and within our own program, adult learners consistently pass the three other GED subject areas: language arts, science and social studies, yet stall at the math test,” said Laurie Weeks, OLC’s Executive Director. “Typically, GED candidates enter our program with major gaps in foundational math skills such as fractions and multiplication. As the path toward GED completion lengthens, adult learners often become discouraged.”

The learners gave positive feedback.

Demari Mosley, 22, said he didn’t finish 10^th, 11^th or 12^th grade, and he wanted to catch up on algebra.

“There are good people here at OLC who care. They actually check on you, make sure you’re doing the work, and if you’re messing up, they let you know. That’s what made it so good, because it gave the effect that I was still

in school,” Demari said.

Torrance Ringgold, 23, came to the bootcamp after working a full day, like most of the others, said, “The bootcamp was a great refresher for me. It brought back little things that I didn’t really remember from being out of school for a couple of years. It brought a classroom setting that helped me lock in on my work. It was definitely worth it.”

Torrance has since passed the official math subject test. “I wish there was more programs like this for science and social studies to touch up on those as well, I would definitely attend another one,” he said.

Sebastian Chernov has also since passed his math subject test. He credits his success in the bootcamp to the instructor. “Laura had the ability to refine specific concepts to a point of confidence. It’s easy to forget the nuances because related concepts, and she made it easier to relearn them,” Sebastian said. “Laura made the whole thing a positive and enriching experience.”

Since the bootcamp ended, Laura has volunteered her time to tutor one of the learners who needed extra support. “It was a good refresher for some of the students and for other students it was all new material so I think that if nothing else, the class probably has them motivated to take the GED test or to jumpstart the study process,” she said.

Because of the positive feedback from both the students and instructor, Oakland Literacy Council is hoping to propose a GED Bootcamp for other subject areas, such as reading and science. Students who complete the GED Test will have the opportunity to walk across the stage in mid-July at OLC’s graduation event.