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August 7, 2018

The Gray House welcomes new education director, J. Aisha Mathews

REGIONAL
Staff report

(IObserve photo/courtesy of The Gray House)

 

SPRINGFIELD – J. Aisha Mathews was recently appointed education director at The Gray House, a service agency located in the North End of Springfield.

Mathews is responsible for running the adult education programs at The Gray House as well as oversight of the Kids’ Club afterschool and summer programs.

“I feel as if I have been preparing for this position my whole life,” said Mathews. “Everything I have ever learned or experienced will be put to good use at The Gray House.”

Mathews has more than 20 years of experience specializing in English for speakers of other languages and those in multicultural environments with communication challenges. Fully bilingual English/Spanish after having lived in Ecuador for 12 years, she holds an advanced certificate in teaching English as a second or foreign language (24 M.Ed. credits) from Seattle University and nine M.Ed. credits in bilingual teacher training from the University of Colorado, as well as a bachelor of arts in classics from the University of Massachusetts.

(IObserve photo/Rebecca Drake)

The mission of The Gray House is “to help its neighbors facing hardships to meet their immediate and transitional needs by providing food, clothing and educational services in a safe, positive environment.” The adult education program focuses on helping migrants, refugees and asylees improve their English language skills while incorporating life skills. The goal of the program is to help them gain self-sufficiency, and to better integrate into their community, and give them the skills needed to break the cycle of poverty.

The Gray House has offered adult education programming since its inception in 1984.  

“I am looking forward to our classes starting back up in September under Aisha’s leadership,” said Teresa Liberti, Gray House executive director. “Her experience, energy and commitment to our mission and the people we serve will be an incredible asset to our organization.

“Through conversations with our community partners and those we serve, we have been working diligently to better understand the ever-changing needs of our neighbors and where there are currently gaps in services,” Liberti said. “Aisha’s leadership and vision is integral to adjusting and improving our adult education program to meet these needs.”

More information about The Gray House can be found at http://www.grayhouse.org.

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