The Most Helpful Mile

You’ve heard the saying: Before you can truly know someone, you must first walk a mile in their shoes. Lori Mott and Amy Benson might alter that adage slightly: You must first walk that mile before you can truly help someone.

Packed with Talent

Together, Lori and Amy comprise the new Career Advisor team at the Cortez and Durango campuses of the Adult Education Center. Both bring rich professional experiences to their roles.

“I started off teaching special education classes,” Lori says. “I think they call them exceptional student services now, or ESS. I taught middle school, elementary, and high school. In Cortez, I started the Fire/EMS concurrent enrollment programs.”

These concurrent enrollment courses provide high school students with real world experience, as well as high school credit and college course credit at Pueblo Community College (PCC). Lori oversaw these special opportunities for 15 years.

Amy’s background took a more scenic route. She explains, “My academic career is in field biology. I went to Australia for a while and got the travel bug so I worked some farms around Guatemala and studied butterflies. I got my master’s studying salamanders at high elevations.”

Eventually, Amy took on teaching science courses at PCC for ten years. She later added on a lab coordinator role at Fort Lewis College. There, she set up, cleaned, and stocked supplies in the laboratories for students, as well as prepared community outreach lab experiences for kids.

The Path from Empathy

Besides these robust credentials, both women endured personal challenges that resonate with the obstacles many adult learners confront. In other words, they have walked that mile and are more than prepared to share what they learned with the students they will serve.

For instance, Career Advisors play a key role in connecting adult students to the support programs they need to fill in financial gaps while they complete their high school equivalent education or learn English as a second language. On this account, Amy can tap personal insights and empathy.

“I know the system,” she explains. “I have intimate knowledge of navigating social support systems.” She goes on to explain how her life underwent big changes as she shifted her career away from teaching. For a single mom, a professional pivot often requires additional supports like unemployment and SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program).

“I will definitely tap my past experiences working with diverse communities,” Amy adds. “I grew up in a big city, a very diverse, international urban environment that gave me a lot of perspective. And also teaching at PCC where the learning and the people were so diverse. I love working with adults and kids. I love being exposed to people from all walks of life and all sorts of perspectives.”

Meanwhile, Lori knows all too well that sense of feeling lost when setting off on career pathways and higher education tracks without a map or compass as guides.

“I’m a first generation college graduate,” she says, which is a modest way of stating she was a trailblazer. Being the first member of her family to attend college meant that Lori’s parents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and cousins could not help her with the complex applications, financial aid strategies, and semester course selections. She had to figure all that out on her own.

“I did not know what I wanted to do with my life. I took every intro class. Intro to journalism. Intro to photography. Intro to everything because I didn’t have a direction. I personally wish I’d had more assistance on the way, so that’s what I try to provide here. And I want to help students figure out what they want to do before they take a bunch of college classes and spend all kinds of money,” Lori affirms.

A Hand Up, Not a Handout

In many ways, the AEC’s Career Advisors are a one-stop problem-solving shop. If a student struggles to get to class because they have unreliable transportation, advisors may help them obtain bus passes or locally sourced micro-grants to cover car repair expenses. If a student is not sure what to do once they have solid English language skills or a GED diploma, Advisors will help assess the student’s interests, explore internships, and research colleges or vocational schools. Finding rental assistance, food assistance, childcare, filling out college applications, practicing job interviews—the list of services Career Advisors provide is virtually endless.

If a student needs something to succeed, then a Career Advisor is on it!

As Lori puts it, “We want to make sure they overcome any obstacles they have to learning, or to reaching their goal. We’re here to give them a hand up, not a handout.”

“I met with [a student] today who’s 30 and coming back to school. He needs glasses and I get to help him solve that problem. It’s those really little things that can hold you back,” Amy says.

An Urgent Time for Guidance

Now more than ever, embarking on a career ladder or college/vocational training will demand excellent guidance as most economic forecasters expect inflation to shrink hiring in 2023 while raising education expenses.

Amy and Lori are poised to shepherd AEC students across these and other grueling miles. They are not only equipped with polished professional backgrounds and personal wisdom wells, but also an often overlooked attitude crucial to skillful career advisement and adult education more generally. Amy, Lori, and the entire AEC team never lose sight of who the real heroes are: the students.

“It’s a huge step for a student who’s been out of school for a long time,” Lori explains. “It’s very courageous for them to come to our Center and take that next step to meet their goals and be successful in life, whatever they define as successful. I always say give yourself a pat on the back for being here. That’s the first huge step.”

For all of the 2021-2022 school year, 241 individuals were brave enough to take that first step and attend GED and/or ESL classes with us. Of those students, 12 graduated with their GED in June 2022 and 16 graduated in December 2022.

Before she heads back to her office to continue meeting with students, Amy says, “Durango is really lucky to have this place. I feel super proud to be a part of this team!”

Lori concurs, adding, “I love working here because we’re all a community. We all work together for the benefit of our students. It’s a real family environment. Everyone supports each other. Both the Centers in Durango and Cortez provide a great community service and I’m just happy to be a part of it. I just love working here; it gives your heart a good feeling!”