Ocean County College OceanViews Magazine 2026 Winter Volume 19 Issue 02 - Flipbook - Page 7
BREAKING BARRIERS
Opening Doors
Through Adult Education
by Bibiana Luna Rojas,
Lead ESL and Civics Instructor,
Ocean County College Achievement Center
As someone who once began my own
journey in an adult education ESL classroom, I know firsthand the power of
these programs. Years ago, I started as an
ESL student, long before I ever imagined
I would one day become an instructor,
and eventually have the privilege of supporting other teachers. My story is only
one example of how adult education can
open doors. What truly inspires me today
are the many students whose lives continue to be transformed through the ESL
program at the Ocean County College
Achievement Center, funded by Title II.
Some of the stories we hear remind us
just how meaningful learning English can
be. One of our students once shared an
experience that deeply moved our entire
First-Gen Student Support
OCC’s commitment to first-generation students expanded in 2023 with the development of the First-Gen/First-Year Task Force,
comprised of staff from across the college.
“The group’s main focus has been to assure
first-generation students that they belong
and deserve to be here, and that there are
support resources available for them,”
explains Dr. Noone. A mentoring program
matches first-gen students with staff
Spotlight on…
OCC’s Disability Services
by Kaitlyn Light
Disability Services at OCC is both supportive and non-invasive, opening the
door for students to self-identify for
their own needs. Jamie Arasz Prioli,
director of Disability Services, encourages this approach. “We are trying to
promote disability as a natural part of
our lives. It’s not something to be scared
of; we want to have that open dialogue.”
team. Her teenage son had been hospitalized with a severe medical condition,
and doctors were preparing to make
a life-altering decision. Although her
English was still developing at the time,
she used what she had learned in her ESL
classes to ask questions, understand the
situation, and request that the hospital
contact her son’s primary doctor before
proceeding. Because she was able to
advocate for her child in English, the situation was reevaluated, and an unnecessary amputation was avoided. She often
says that learning English gave her the
words and the courage to protect her son
when he needed her most.
Adult education is more than learning
English; it is gaining independence,
advocating for oneself and one’s family, and building a stronger community.
The Ocean County College Achievement
Center at OCC helps individuals achieve
their goals and create new opportunities for themselves and their loved ones.
members who are also first-generation college graduates. “We try to match them based
on life experiences,” Noone says. “Someone
who has been in their shoes.” The mentors
provide practical advice on everything from
time management to coping with stress,
answering questions and offering real-world
perspectives. “The participants have had
only good experiences,” Noone adds, noting that the program was recently adopted
into the college’s 2025-2027 strategic plan.
One way they achieve this is through
weekly Walk-In Wednesdays, during
which they provide an overview of support services offered at OCC and throughout the community. This has helped
connect students to Disability Services,
enabling them to feel comfortable returning later with disability-related issues.
In many cases, these students don’t come
with a plan for their accommodations,
and Jamie emphasizes the importance
of working with students to identify their
needs in the classroom, clinical, and
internship environments. The office can
address these needs as the semester
progresses and collaborate with both students and professors to develop a solution
that reduces barriers for students with disabilities without lessening the academic
rigor of the courses. Accommodations
can range from service dogs on campus
to text-to-speech software and more,
depending on each individual student’s
needs, to create an equal and inclusive
environment for all of OCC’s students.
Ocean Views
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