Ka Lor couldn’t speak English when he arrived in Madison from a refugee camp in Thailand. But he could cut hair.
Scholarships, government programs and attentive College counselors helped the Laotian immigrant complete a four-year journey at the College that required intensive training to get his high school diploma, learn English and pass a licensure exam to become a barber. Ka, photographed at right, was determined to earn enough money to support his wife and three children. In December, 2008, he graduated in the Barber/Cosmetology program and got a job at a Middleton barber shop.
"Be patient and stay motivated,” Ka tells his friends. "You can do it.”
Madison College students enter college with a mixed readiness to learn. Counselors, advisers, tutors and faculty bridge the gaps:
-57% of those tested need remedial math courses.-52% need writing remedial classes.- -23% need developmental reading classes
As many as 25 percent drop out of Basic English courses because the College lacks the resources for adequate tutoring services.
An increasing number of Madison College students are displaced workers returning to school. They need refresher courses in math and writing. Yet programs for tutoring, remedial labs and other necessary tools are unavailable to many students at the College at the very time that enrollments increased an estimated 13
percent in the Spring 2010 semester.
To help students like Ka, check out the Smart Future campaign.
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