AALL Support Staff of the Year Award: Irma Ojeda

 Irma is a dedicated, hard-working, efficient, intelligent, and fun-loving colleague who repeatedly goes beyond the call of duty in service to adult education.  Her innovations in every aspect of clerical and data collection work are used throughout the program, and her enthusiastic participation and leadership in professional development make her a life-long learner in every way.
Irma has worked with Pima College Adult Education (PCAE) since 1991.  In the fifteen years since she began as a part-time clerical aide at PCAE’s El Rio Learning Center, Irma has helped thousands and thousands of students get their GEDs, learn English, pass their U.S. Citizenship exam, and prepare for better lives and better opportunities.  In 1992, she became a full-time secretary/receptionist at El Rio, answering students’ questions, assessing students’ skills, entering and deciphering data, and helping students adjust to life in this country.  El Rio serves over 2,000 students each year, and for the 11 years she worked at El Rio, Irma made sure each of those 20,000 students was given the best service and care possible. During those years, Irma also became a leader among her colleagues by planning and leading several professional development events, spearheading and sharing innovative data collection techniques, and offering emotional support during difficult personal times.
In 2002, Irma applied and was selected for the position of Support Specialist for the Dean of Adult Basic Education, Greg Hart.  Although Irma missed her interaction with students at the learning center, she recognized the importance of her new role: supporting the larger supervision of over 200 employees and the entire 10,000+ student program.  Irma, of course, was fully up to the challenge.  Her judgment in making decisions, the speed with which she performs her daily responsibilities, her patience and problem-solving abilities are exceptional.  She is upbeat, organized, diligent, creative, and continually looks for every opportunity to support her colleagues at PCAE and to expand her capabilities through a variety of professional development opportunities.
Irma is also the welcoming hand to most of PCAE’s new employees.  Many teachers may not know who the director of the program is, but they all know who Irma is.  Her warmth and kindness toward these new faces gives them a great boost, and we all benefit from the strong start that Irma offers them.  The same care that she gave to new students at El Rio Learning Center for so many years, she now gives to every new employee at PCAE.
This past year, Irma has once again demonstrated her leadership.  She volunteered for an important college-wide committee to review professional development plans for every non-exempt employee in the College.  The committee work took considerable time each week and required great depth of consideration. This new responsibility brought Irma in contact with staff members in the larger college community and her contributions to the committee resulted in hundreds of employees receiving raises based on merit.  Her participation also gave adult education staff members the opportunity to access information directly and gave adult education a voice at the college table.  Irma has been invited to continue on this college committee again this year.
In addition, Irma has agreed to co-facilitate PCAE’s new Professional Learning Team made up of 20 colleagues.  At the initial meeting of the newly-structured group, staff members were encouraged to go beyond their usual comfort zones and accept roles that would challenge them.  When it came time to determine who the facilitators would be, Irma raised her hand--“They said to take a risk, and so I thought, yes, I can do that—I can facilitate the team.”  This action is emblematic of Irma’s enthusiastic participation in all aspects of PCAE’s program over the years.
Along with all of her contributions to the staff of PCAE, Irma has recently renewed her commitment to getting her Bachelor’s degree. She has begun taking college classes again and is passing those courses with all A’s. Irma is beloved by her colleagues. When this award was announced, Irma was the natural choice. Her skill, dedication, longevity, and leadership in adult education are truly extraordinary and most deserving of this award.