While going back to school as an adult opens new doors of opportunity, navigating the enrollment process, figuring out which courses to take and juggling class assignments—on top of meeting job and family obligations—can be overwhelming.
That is why students at Oakland Adult and Career Education turn to people like Maria Einaudi for support.
Maria is a Transition Liaison for OACE, a division of the Oakland Unified School District in Oakland.
Transition liaisons help students pinpoint both educational and career goals and choose the right classes. They also assist with enrollment into community colleges and various job training programs, as well as identify any community resources that are available to students.
“And when I see people get what they want, it makes the job satisfying.”
Maria Einaudi, Transition Specialist, Oakland Adult Career & Education
“I meet with students and help them enroll in college classes, start job training programs, and get connected to housing, immigration or other relevant resources they might need,” she says, “and I’m always educating myself as I go along about all the different eligibility requirements and what’s needed.”
Many of the students at OACE are immigrants, so the school offers classes such as English as a Second Language, and for parents of youngsters in OUSD elementary school, ESL Family Literacy classes.
Moreover, a growing number of adults born and raised here in Oakland, as well as newcomers, are accessing high school equivalency classes and math for the trades in order to enter careers such as plumbing, HVAC and electrical, Maria says.
As an OACE Transition Specialist, Maria regularly sits down with students individually to ask about their objectives, and through those conversations, she helps students map out their next move, whether it is sharing information with them about an ESL class or citizenship class, helping with a resume and exploring jobs, or helping them transfer to a community college or a job training program, she says.
In fact, OACE partners with agencies and nonprofits that provide short-term training programs in areas such as banking, healthcare, and the trade professions.
Maria says she first learned about adult schools in the early 2000s while working at a nonprofit for artists with developmental disabilities.
“I appreciated that adult schools were supporting learners from special populations, supporting low-income, disabled, and underrepresented parts of our population with obtaining basic skills,” she says. “A person spends so much more of their time in adulthood than in childhood, and it’s only right that we continue educational opportunities for those who, for so many different reasons, need it beyond 12th grade or never had access to it to begin with, or need it just to skill up for employment.”
Maria says she came to work at OACE in 2007 teaching students with disabilities. Then in 2018, she made the switch to transition liaison.
She recalls one student who arrived at OACE seven years ago for a family literacy class before moving on to taking ESL classes. Afterward, the student studied for her high school equivalency certificate and then entered the clinical medical assistant program.
“She’s now in the middle of studying for her state license,” says Maria. “We’re updating her resume, and she’ll land a job as a medical assistant very soon.”
Whether it is helping a student choose between ESL options or advising them on careers, Maria says she enjoys working with adult students because they usually know what they want.
“And, when I see people get what they want, it makes the job satisfying.”
For more information on all the Oakland Adult and Career Education programs, visit https://www.ousd.org/adult-and-career-education
Written by Gail Allyn Short
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| Bay Area California | Variety of Classes |
