by Sally Sapega

Theresa Green learned many things in high school. Above all, she learned that she possesses the strength and resolve to overcome extreme obstacles.

Theresa graduated high school when she was 18, but the road to this milestone was anything but smooth. At 14, right after completing her freshman year, she gave birth to a daughter conceived from a brutal attack. Then, in her junior year, she spent a month in the hospital battling a serious infection. Throughout Theresa’s school years a learning disability significantly impeded her ability to read. On top of all this, people at school kept telling Theresa she’d never make it through to graduation.

But Theresa is a fighter who refused to quit. She was living with her great-aunt who was cheering her on, and she had a daughter she couldn’t let down. Motivated by these family connections, she kept pushing herself and finally reached her goal of graduation.

And there were bright spots during Theresa’s difficult time in high school. For one, she discovered her passion for cooking. Says Theresa, “I took a class in culinary arts. We learned to prep and cook for teachers. I loved it!”

After graduating from high school, Theresa worked at Wendy’s, but she knew she wanted more. Living on her own with three kids, she wanted to be more financially secure. “I wanted to get ahead,” she remembers.

With her dream of being a chef still vivid in her mind, Theresa began studying the culinary arts through the Wilmington Job Corps. In one year, she had completed their culinary course and even won their Expo competition. The prize was a scholarship to attend a cooking school in Connecticut, but because she was 7½ months pregnant with her son, she had to turn it down. Theresa still appreciates the experience. “I was so excited,” she says. “I got to meet some big chefs!”

Theresa now had her high school diploma and a culinary certification, but her inability to read well was holding her back.

A huge barrier to moving ahead in her career was obtaining the SafeServ cooking safety certification that is required of all chefs. She struggled with reading the book of safety rules.

Enter Delaware County Literacy Council (DCLC) and tutor Maureen Fleming. For more than five years, the two worked together to get Theresa’s reading increased to an 8th grade level. Her learning disability, Fleming says, stemmed from not hearing the words properly. “Most teaching methods focus on phonics—it’s all about hearing,” says Maureen.

Maureen tried a different approach called syllabication that helped Theresa break down the words into syllables. “We started with her reading word lists, from very easy words and gradually to harder ones," says Maureen.

Theresa liked the drills and slowly could see her success as she learned more. “Maureen helped me focus and look at life differently,” she says. “I love my tutor!”

And their work together also helped Theresa reach one of her goals. With her improved reading, Theresa was able to take a community college course and tackle the SafeServ book of safety rules so she could be certified. “If you can read, it’s the key to life,” Theresa declares.

This March, with help from Wilma Guzman-Perez, DCLC Employment coach, Theresa landed a job as a line cook at Maris Grove retirement community. Her ultimate dream is to have her own business.

“I want to own a double-deck food bus and travel around,” she says. “People will eat on the bus! My grandfather and I are working on a blueprint.” She hopes to use catering as a way to earn money to fund her dream.

And Theresa will also use her hard-won experience and inner strength to pursue this dream.

As Theresa puts it, “Life is about not being afraid.”

This is an abridged version of this article. Read the full article here.