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Vanessa Tulley, Rio Salado College’s 2025 High School Equivalency (HSE) Graduation student speaker
Event Kicks off National Adult and Family Literacy Week
Rio Salado College (RSC) Adult Education kicked off National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week (Sept. 14-20) earlier this month at the Arizona Adult Education Institute.The Arizona Department of Education, Adult Education Services welcomed Rio Salado’s 2025 High School Equivalency (HSE) Graduation student speaker Vanessa Tulley, who shared her inspiring journey of perseverance and achievement.
Tulley earned her HSE diploma after overcoming the loss of both parents and a battle with addiction. Now celebrating four and a half years of sobriety, she credits her faith, family, and Rio Salado’s supportive instructors for helping her transform her life. While working full-time, she also completed Integrated Education and Training programs (IET), earning certificates in Warehouse, Inventory & Logistics and Retail Fundamentals from the National Retail Foundation.
“Through IET programs, I was able to work on my academic skills while earning industry-recognized certificates. These programs gave me both knowledge and practical skills that related to my job at the time, and I use these skills in my current job too,” Tulley said.
Building on her success, Tully was accepted into Rio Salado’s Adults Achieving a College Education (Adult ACE) scholarship program and began her college coursework with the goal of becoming a residential electrician and, eventually, a welder.
She also expressed her gratitude to the Arizona Department of Education for funding Rio’s Adult Education program: “Without this support, many of us – especially adult learners like me – wouldn’t have access to the education, training, and resources we need to transform our lives. Adult Education opened doors for me exactly when I needed it, and they continue to do so. To anyone wondering if it’s too late – I promise you, it’s not.”
Rio Salado College is proud to join educators, partners, and learners across the nation in celebrating National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week— a time to recognize the power of education to transform lives, strengthen families, and build stronger communities.
A Focus on Students’ Future Success
Rio Salado College’s Adult Education’s groundbreaking collaborative career training model was developed with the Maricopa Community Colleges and aims at upskilling adult education students. The approach behind the successful career training model supports underprepared learners, helping students earn a high school equivalency diploma or improve their English language skills while simultaneously gaining 21st-century employability skills and training for in-demand careers.
- According to a report out of Georgetown University, by 2031, 72 percent of all U.S. jobs will require postsecondary education or training and 42 percent will require at least a bachelor’s degree.
- The same report shows that the number of middle-skilled workers— those with an associate degree, certificate, test-based certification, or some college without a credential— has more than doubled from 13 percent of the workforce in 1983 to 31 percent in 2021, the most recent data available. This demonstrates the evolving demands of the job market for postsecondary education and training.
"Rio Salado Adult Education builds local and national partnerships to create a more educated workforce, elevating one family at a time toward economic and social mobility,” said Elizabeth Cole, Associate Dean, Student Services.
Each year, Congress recognizes one week as National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week to increase public awareness of the vital role that adult education and family literacy play in our nation’s well-being. Each year, Rio celebrates the staff, instructors, and community partners who are the backbone of the Adult Education program.
About Rio Salado College Adult Education
Rio Salado’s adult education classes help thousands of people like you positively affect their lives. Your goals matter, and we can help you:
- Earn your high school equivalency diploma through the GED® test or other pathways
- Improve your English language skills
- Gain essential employability skills
- Train for an exciting career
- Transition to college
Rio Salado’s dedicated instructors, success coaches, college and career navigators, tutors, and staff have helped students reach their individual learning goals, prepare for in-demand careers, and successfully prepare for and transition to college. Learn more on our website or register today!
About COABE
The Coalition on Adult Basic Education is the premier national professional association of adult educators. Over 79,000 members strong, COABE’s mission is to inspire educators so that adults succeed and communities thrive. Website: www.coabe.org.
[i] National Commission on Adult Literacy. (2008). Reach higher, America: Overcoming crisis in the U.S. workforce. Report of the National Commission on Adult Literacy.
[ii] Pew Research Center (2017). Immigration projected to drive growth in U.S. working age population through at least 2013. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/03/08/immigration-projected-to-drive-growth-in-u-s-working-age-population-through-at-least-2035/
[iii] National Skills Coalition analysis of long-term occupational projections from State labor/employment agency