Chuck Herrera says he’s retired, but that’s only because he doesn’t work a salaried day job anymore. He’s still hard at work, six volunteer commitments away from kicking up his feet and sipping lemonade.

For starters, he has been a volunteer tutor for Adult Ed’s literacy program since 2001, helping English learners with reading and writing comprehension—skills they use for such simple yet vital tasks like reading bank statements, prescription labels, and bank account applications.

He has been working with his current tutee, Maria*, for just over a year, meeting with her once a week for two hours. She wants to be able to read a newspaper.

“It sounds simple for many people, but for her, that’s a real goal, that’s a challenge,” he said.

Chuck’s last student, Jorge*, came to tutoring for six and a half years, during which time he demonstrated a strong work ethic.

“I used to call him The Sponge,” Chuck said. “Every time he came to class, he usually had questions to ask.”

Now Jorge runs his own window- and chandelier-cleaning business, instead of working the two to three part-time jobs he held prior to his education. Chuck believes that without English skills,  Jorge would not have easily been able to start his own business, much less accomplish such entrepreneurial tasks as writing purchase orders or letters to suppliers.

Chuck and Jorge have stayed in contact, and Jorge has converted half his dining room into a classroom for his children, creating an emphasis on education for his family. Chuck would like to think that his impact on Jorge helped create the change.

“I kind of hope I was part of that,” he said of Jorge’s home classroom.

Beyond one-on-one tutoring, Chuck is a conversation leader in Adult Ed’s Conversational English program. He became involved with Adult Ed as a whole after he and his wife, Cathy, volunteered for a post-9/11 fundraiser and he decided he wanted to help people, though he didn’t know how. Then he saw an ad in the paper for the Conejo Valley Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, through which he discovered opportunities at Adult School.

Chuck also volunteers in a third grade class at Acacia Elementary School and has just started volunteering for Many Mansions, an organization that provides housing for low-income families in Ventura County. He just finished coaching a Special Olympics basketball team and will soon be coaching a Special Olympics volleyball squad. His 20-year run as a basketball coach for the Conejo Youth Basketball Association lends him a strong athletics background.
Chuck graduated from Venice High School and then attended Moorpark College, though he dropped out for a time. Later, he was accepted to Cal Lutheran and earned a degree in business management, and has spent his work career in the industrial equipment industry. He has been married for 38 years and has two daughters, Jennifer and Melissa, and two grandsons.

He enjoys traveling, having visited Catalina Island, Egypt, and Rocky Mountain National Park in the past year and Ireland last year, in addition to a 16-day rafting trip along the Colorado River.  He also likes to escape into the world of fiction novels, the latest being James Rollins’s The Judas Strain and Kris Radish’s Annie Freeman’s Fabulous Traveling Funeral.  Volunteering brings him back to Earth, in a good way.

“If I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t be doing it,” he said.

*names changed for confidentiality

Rubilo Garcia attended elementary school through sixth grade in the small Guatemalan village where he was raised, but the nearest secondary school was 40 miles away, and his family was unable to afford sending him there. That’s where the story begins.

At age 12 then, he began work in construction, serving as a helper in home-building for three years. At age 15, he started employment with the Chiquita Banana company and became a supervisor at age 18.  In May 2000, at age 25, he came to the United States, knowing no English. Until he was 30, he worked three jobs—two full-time and one part-time—seven days a week to support himself and his family; he has two children, still in Guatemala, from his first marriage.  When they were more financially stable, he was able to quit one of the full-time jobs.

When he began studying through Adult Ed’s ESL program, he was working 40 hours per week. Last year, Rubilo graduated from the program with a diploma, after four years of hard work.  He is currently in his second year as a student of the Literacy Center’s tutoring program.  This September, he began the ESL computer course. Meanwhile, his wife, Cristina, is taking the ESL Level 4 class, while maintaining her job as a housekeeper.

Rubilo has been employed with Weldlogic, Inc. for the past five years, assembling welding equipment used for advanced manufacturing.

“I have a goal to get a GED,”  he said.  “That would enable me to eventually get a higher position in the company.  Actually, my career goal would be to open my own business or work in the field of real estate.”    

Rubilo has resided in Newbury Park since coming to the country, and has traveled to San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Catalina Island. However, he feels fortunate that Adult Ed is practically in his own backyard.

“I am so thankful for this school,” he said. “It really helped me a lot. I had wonderful teachers who had a lot of patience to teach me.”

In his spare time, Rubilo plays on a soccer team, likes swimming at his apartment pool or at the beach, and enjoys weekend bike rides with his wife. He also reads, preferring The Los Angeles Times and historical non-fiction books.

Lupita Tomayo has been coming to the Adult Ed Literacy Center for a year now. She has been working to improve her speaking, writing, and reading skills.

She was born in the city of Zamora in Michoacán, Mexico. She went to elementary and secondary school in her home country, and also attended secretarial/business college for two years. She hopes that through the Literacy Center, she will become prepared enough to take the GED and go to college again.

"The Literacy Center is excellent and so is my tutor, Chuck Herrera,” Lupita said. “I am so happy with this excellent opportunity.  The tutoring is flexible and there is no cost.”

For the past 23 years, she has been employed at a company that makes and processes glass photo plates. She is currently a quality control supervisor. Her husband, Fernando, works at the same company as a machine operator. They have three children—Luis is a sociology major at San Diego State University, Edgar attends Moorpark College, and Arely is a 10th grade student and cheerleader at Moorpark High School.

Leisure-time activities for Lupita include aerobics class, hiking, cooking, going out to dinner, or enjoying the food her husband barbecues at home. She reads the newspaper every day and Prevention Magazine when she gets the chance. She also travels to San Diego regularly to visit her son and parents.

Interview B. Kane; article E. Kane