Impact Report: Where Literacy Meets Healthcare

Maria Guadalupe’s journey with the Literacy Center has taken her from her daughter’s school, to her health clinic, and now to her workplace. At each step, literacy has opened new doors for her and her family. 

She and her husband first connected with the Literacy Center through the Family Literacy program at her daughter's elementary school, where he still takes classes each week. Soon after, Maria joined a Literacy Center health literacy class. There she learned practical skills—like when to use urgent care instead of the emergency room and how to prepare for doctor’s visits. The class also gave her something more: the confidence to reconnect with a dream she had carried since childhood. “I wanted to be a doctor but life happens. I’m very interested in healthcare.”

With encouragement from the Literacy Center, Maria enrolled in the MI Impact program, offered in partnership with Corewell Health and WMCAT. She has now been hired by Corewell Health and is starting her journey in Pharmacy Technician training. For her, it is a career step, not just a job. “Now I can study a career so that is a big thing. Before I was looking for something to do to work or in a home, but now I have this opportunity, now I have everything I need to pursue what I need.”

Maria admits she was astonished by the level of support along the way.“I was in shock at how much support they provide, they provide everything! They worry about you getting success in the program and in life. It is incredible the help they give to people.”

Her daughter is her greatest encourager, asking every day how school went and celebrating her progress. That daily motivation, combined with the support of the Literacy Center, WMCAT, and Corewell Health, has helped Maria take steps she once dreamed of.

“I will try to work through and do my best,” she says, “so I can have a better future for myself and my family as well.”

This story is one piece of a much larger picture. Our annual Impact Report brings together learner stories, program highlights, and outcomes from across the Literacy Center’s work over the past year. You can find more stories like this, and a deeper look at our impact, in the 24-25 Impact Report: Where Literacy Meets Life.