P.A.L.S. received the Metro Edmonton Community Choice Award for Community Services!
The following article was published in the August 8, 2017 Metro.
Nooria had to quit her job as a television anchor in Afghanistan because of war and threats to her life for being a woman and working outside the home. She moved to Canada by herself in 2009. In Toronto she attended school to learn English for a year. When she moved to Edmonton she worked twenty hours a day so she could have the funds to sponsor her family. In 2014 she sponsored her family.
All this time Nooria never lost her desire to improve her skills. In April 2016, she went to P.A.L.S. to improve her math skills. After the assessment, she was matched with her tutor Paul. Paul quickly realized how hard working and self-motivated she was. So instead of two hours per week they decided to meet for four hours every week on her day off.
Her employer saw her progress and sponsored her for the pastry chef program at NAIT. To do so, Nooria had to have grade 10 math. She registered at Metro Continuing Education and continued working with Paul. In June 2017 she passed her Math 10C. She says it was tough and at times felt like giving up, but with the help from P.A.L.S. and Paul, she accomplished her goal.
Nooria has now joined the P.A.L.S. Literacy for English Language Learners Program to improve her reading and writing skills. She is now confident that she can pass the Pastry program at NAIT and pursue her dream job as a pastry chef.