MARSHALLTOWN There’s nothing a teacher enjoys more than hearing student success stories and the same is true of community college board members. Jon Nunez, Director of Adult Literacy Programs at the Iowa Valley Education & Training Center at 206 E. Main St., introduced three of his students to the Iowa Valley Community College District (IVCCD) Board of Directors this week. The students shared their individual paths to success, and received the thanks and congratulations of the Board at the end of their remarks.

Salai Tun, a native of Burma, currently works at JBS. He told the IVCCD Board that he sees his future as being very bright, and that he loves his school, the Education & Training Center (ETC). Tun is currently taking classes to earn a high school equivalency diploma. “I am proud of myself and my school,” he said.

Paw Taw, also from Burma, said she feels blessed to be a student at the Education & Training Center. “There are lots of challenges when you don’t know the language here,” she explained. “I lived in a refugee camp for 10 years, and we were not allowed outside of the fence. I am so glad to be in Iowa. I know that God had a plan for me, and that I had to be tough. I love the English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and I learn more all the time. I hope to work in the medical field some day, helping people. I just want to serve the community, because so many people need help.”

Maryna Salas, also an ETC student, is the Assistant Director at the House of Compassion. Originally from Mexico, she told the Board that she worked two jobs to support four kids in California, then lost the jobs. She came to Marshalltown and started classes at the ETC. She then completed her high school equivalency diploma, graduated from Marshalltown Community College, and then graduated from Buena Vista University with degrees in psychology and human services. “I send people from the House of Compassion to the ETC all of the time,” she said.

Nunez told Board members that the three students have worked hard to overcome language barriers and pursue their careers. He said Paw Taw, in particular, has been a great help to the local Burmese community following the July 19 tornado. “She gets calls all the time and helps with translations so that people can understand and receive needed services,” Nunez explained.

“This is why we’re here and why we do what we do,” said IVCCD Chancellor Chris Duree. “Jon does a fantastic job at the ETC he doesn’t miss a beat. He and his staff do great work, and these students are evidence of that.”