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Kristy Rooney is an innovator. She emanates sincerity when she says she can’t be in a job that is not making an impact. 

Currently, she is the Austin Adult Learning coordinator for Austin Public Schools. Her latest wonderfully successful undertaking was the Connections program, which brought together community volunteers with English Language Learners. The format was to have meaningful, one on one, conversations during a series of get-togethers over a period of five months.

Her goal was twofold: To provide more speaking time to build the students’ confidence in a non-traditional learning format, and to build relationships between the immigrant population and the rest of the community. She believes that stories are an important piece of building understanding and relationships and wanted community members to hear some of the stories of these amazing, hardworking students.

Most of the ELL students work full time and have busy fåmilies, with all the incumbent responsibilities that entails. Yet, they still find time to come to class two and a half hours a day, four days a week, and to do homework. They are so grateful for this learning opportunity.

Kristy had high hopes for Connections, but she was very surprised and gratified at the impact it had on students who emotionally expressed their feeling at the end of the year event. One man said he used to stay home and never went out because he thought  that his English wasn’t good enough.  The Connections experience gave him the confidence to use his English in the community. 

Another student said she had previously arranged a translator for interactions and now knew she could manage on her own. A third student had a new feeling of being a valuable part of the community because volunteers took their time to participate in Connections.  And the volunteers all want to volunteer again and suggest longer periods of time.   Great feedback!

Kristy was first hired by Austin Public Schools nine years ago as a General Education Diploma (GED) navigator, which meant she was to support students in any way possible to complete preparation for the GED and passing the testing which is an equivalent to a high school diploma.

Kristy quickly noted that students started out with much enthusiasm and yet the completion rate was dismally low. Her love for innovation led her to propose that the students were not getting all that they needed from just academic learning. 

She began to do research and took training in professional coaching and came up with a new approach to working with these students. Her plan involved explaining to students how our minds and bodies work, and sometimes seem to work against us, in accomplishing our goals.  She helped them to understand why new things seem threatening and old habits are comforting and how to overcome these limitations. 

Students became more engaged and were better able to evaluate where they were and where they wanted to be in the future.  She is proud to say her strategies greatly improved the completion rate for GED students.

Kristy has been asked to share her approach in seminars for teachers through Minnesota Department of Education, Wichita State’s Workforce Innovation Conference, national Adult Basic Education conferences, as well as at Riverland Community College.  Kristy says her goal is to “move people up to a higher level of freedom in their lives, whatever that means to them.”

Promoted to her current job as coordinator five years ago, Kristy now has several areas to oversee. The GED program served about 75 students this year. Austin Adult Learning is also involved in career prep offerings, teacher paraprofessional training, certified nursing assistant training, interpreter training, customer service training and citizenship training. AAL also partners with Riverland in co-enrolled math courses to provide extra support for students. The largest part of the program is involved with English Language Learning for adults, serving close to 400 students this year in classes at three learning levels.

Austin is lucky to have this educational innovator among us! We’ll be watching for the new approaches you come up with next!   There is no doubt your work is making an impact!  Thank you, Kristy Rooney.

For more information about the Austin Branch of AAUW, contact Sue Grove  sue.grove@riverland.edu  or Carolyn Bogott  csbogott@gmail.com. The American Association of University Women, now AAUW, is open to anyone who has completed a two-year degree or beyond.  AAUW welcomes men who support our objectives and there are student memberships available. AAUW has supported equity and education for women.  Scholarships are offered, as well as help in litigation in cases dealing with sex discrimination.  We are the most important and highly respected research and lobbying organization dealing with women’s issues such as equal opportunity and job equality.