Page 7 - New Direction

You Shine!
Two shining examples of a successful ESOL program at Brevard Adult Educa on - Melbourne stand out: Nadia Caradro and Dora Ber ni.
Nadia began as a “high beginning” student in 2002 speaking Italian, French, and Spanish. She con nued through all subsequent ESOL classes, then moved to GED and received her cer cate there. A er that, she began to volunteer at BAE - Melbourne. With en- couragement from other teachers, she then trained
Desean Bogle-Funchess
Desean Bogle-Funchess is one of those young guys who “looks” like a football player. When he saunters into the classroom, his hulking frame lls up much
of the doorway. He usually wears a backpack but compared to his large body, it looks like a child’s bag. Besides another student who stands 6’7” tall, Desean towers over most other people in class. It comes as no surprise to nd out Desean plays football as a defensive lineman, enjoying his favorite part of the game: tack- ling. When asked about the posi on
he plays, Desean chuckled and
said with a big grin, “Aw man, I
like hi ng people out there on
the eld. That’s the best part.”
He rst began playing at ve-
years-old for the Rockledge
Raiders Youth Football League
and as me went on, he fell in
love with a sport that ini ally
gave him a posi ve outlet for his
anger. Being a defensive lineman
wasn’t his rst choice as a posi on. Desean de-
scribed being cycled through several posi ons through- out the years, admi ng he was a “fat kid” at rst and as he grew and matured, found his niche as a human heat-seeking missile on the eld.
Desean is usually a taciturn, reserved student in class. He’s a local boy, born and raised in Brevard County. The 18 year-old speaks with a deep drawl, each word coming out with the same easy, relaxed nature he possesses when he walks around. Once he’s asked
and tested to become a subs tute teacher. She s ll regularly volunteers and even received Volunteer of the Year from ACE of Florida in 2015.
Dora is from Ecuador where she took English at school and got her bachelor’s degree in educa on. She taught elementary school there for 3 years, then lived in London for three and a half years before coming
to the United States. When she came to the United States, she decided to become a counselor; however, she needed to brush-up on her English. She enrolled in Brevard Adult Educa on - Melbourne’s Level 7 ESOL with Lucy Seroty. With Lucy’s help, she not only graduated, but she was recommended to teach ESOL while she studied for her master’s degree in counsel- ing. When she nished her degree work, she became a counselor at BAE – Melbourne.
about football, however, he becomes more animat- ed. The same sort of transforma on happens on the football eld as the normally stoic student turns into
a tackling machine that seeks to crash into the near- est opponent. He notes a par cular game during his freshman year at Rockledge High School as a clima c event in his life, making a big play during an important game by burying the quarterback during a quarterback sneak and keeping his team on the winning side of the
scoreboard as me expired.
Football seems to be in his blood since one of his cousins, Devin Funchess,
plays for the Carolina Panthers in the NFL. While Desean plays
defense, his cousin Devin plays o ense as a wide receiver.
Desean dreams to play in the NFL but also has his sights set on playing in a semi-pro league.
He’s watched football most of his life, being an avid Alabama
fan since childhood and also en- joyed watching the Florida Gators
during the Tim Tebow years.
Desean’s plans for the future include working a skilled trade such as being a mechanic or enlis ng in the military. Whatever he does, it’s certain there will be a pigskin nearby at all mes and he will tackle whatever challenges he faces head-on, just like the quarterbacks he hunts on the football eld.
Johnny Hernandez, Learning Specialist
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