Adult education students work on assignments at the VITA Adult Education Center in Opelousas. Student Brent Fontenot is pictured in the foreground. Standing (left to right) are VITA Staff Members Judith Goodstone, Ben Ortega and Julia Joubert.

VITA Expands Services in St. Landry Parish
The VITA Adult Education Center was established in the fall of 2008 at the Louisiana Technical College, T.H. Harris campus in Opelousas. VITA services were expanded to include a full-time comprehensive adult education program with managed enrollment using technology-based instruction. The Internet capability available at the site allows the use of distance learning activities in addition to one-to-one and group instruction using print materials. In addition, GED preparation and workplace readiness/literacy instruction are also offered.

Additional sites of instruction in Opelousas include the Housing Authority Network Center, which provides transportation to students, and a VITA computer lab and office at WIB Acadiana Works Center.

The VITA office now offers extended computer lab hours. Staff Member Julia Joubert operates the office and lab on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. until noon. In addition, the office is also available for tutoring sessions on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. until noon.

Simon Patin celebrated his birthday with the VITA students and staff in 2002. Below is a story that he wrote about the day. Simon passed away in April.

In Memory of Our Student, Simon Patin
These stories were written by VITA Student Simon Patin, who passed away Easter Sunday 2009.

Birthdays My birthdays are just like any other day. The come and go -- no party, no cake. But last year my friends at VITA surprised me on my birthday with a beautiful cake. This made me very happy!

A Trip to California I would love to take a trip to California. I have a sister who lives there. I do not want to ride on a plane because I think that the plane I would get on would crash. I would go on a bus or train, anything with wheels on the ground, but not a plane.

Friends As children my friend O'Twain and I used to play together all the time. We grew up together. He still lives in St. Martinville, my old hometown. Now I live in Breaux Bridge. We~Rre still friends, but we only see each other once in a while.

A Walk in the Park I went for a walk in the park. Many people were there with their young children. The older ones were barbecuing fish, pork ribs, and corn. A baseball team played in the field. I continued my walk.


Meet the St. Landry Adult Education Staff
The VITA Adult Education Center staff in St. Landry includes Betty Haynes, Kathy DeGlandon, Judith Goodstone, Julia Joubert, and Ben Ortega.

Betty Haynes handles intake procedures and testing for the program in Opelousas. Judith Goodstone is responsible for curriculum development for the program and serves lead teacher and supervisor. Judith, Kathy DeGlandon, and Julia Joubert are educators with many years of teaching experience. Ben Ortega's years as a computer systems analyst has also been invaluable to the program in setting up VITA's online learning program.
Whitney Bank Presents Money Matters to VITA Students
Whitney Bank recently sponsored a Money Matters presentation for VITA students on financial literacy at the Johnston Street Branch Bank in Lafayette. Whitney Branch Manager Karen Pierre offered a seminar on topics such as budgeting and money management. In addition, students were presented with a Money Matters booklet to use at home.

VITA Staff Member Janel Fontenot entertained VITA students with a reading of The Mardi Gras Dictionary at the King Cake Party in February. The students also learned about Mardi Gras customs, played Mardi Gras Bingo, and sampled King Cakes from local bakeries.
Physicians Levon Babasyan, M.D. (left) and Fernando Perez-Viart, M.D. attend VITA's ESL program.

VITA Offers English Skills to Physicians
Two physicians are attending VITA~Rs ESL group classes to improve their English skills. Levon Babasyan, M.D., Ph.D., a cardio-thoracic surgeon from Erevan, Armenia, enrolled in the program while visiting with friends for a few months. Levon is married to Armine and has a nine-year-old daughter, Sona, and five-year-old son, Andre. His family remained in Armenia during his visit to the U.S. He will return home in July.

Fernando Perez-Viart, M.D., a physician in general medicine, recently moved to America from Cuba. He was able to leave the country by taking part in a visa lottery that the U.S. government offered for immigration to Cubans. He joined his wife, Damarik, and daughter, Claudia, seven years-old, who were residents of Lafayette for the past five years. Fernando received his American driver~Rs license in April and plans to attend a phlebotomy training program at the Louisiana Technical College this summer. He also hopes to find other part-time health care employment in Lafayette.
VITA Welcomes New Tutors
Carol Antosiak
Alessandra Batista
Ronnie Boudreaux
Mike Carter
Stefani Celio
Arnie Davidson
Sherry Dupre
Ixel Haseltine
Diane Hebert
Beth Keith
Dotsie LeBlanc 		Julio Montalvo
Renita Mouton
Gerry O'Day
Charles Poimboeuf
Sylvia Poimboeuf
Reed Preston
Paulette Rawdon
Shauna Stelly
Virginia Stokes
Anjana Turner


Presentations Provide Information for St. Landry Students
The St. Landry VITA Adult Education students recently enjoyed several presentations at the school site at the Louisiana Technical College, T.H. Harris campus in Opelousas.

Acadian Ambulance personnel briefed students about health care prospects in Acadiana. They learned about financial aid opportunities, pay scales, and employee benefits with Acadian Ambulance.

For Black History Month, students also heard first-hand experiences from two local veterans. Sidney Fowler described his adventures in New Guinea during World War II. Tom Brown spoke about his experiences as a paratrooper in the Special Forces in the War in Vietnam.


Diana Greenough recently joined the VITA staff. A Lafayette native, she was one of VITA's first tutors in the 1980s.
VITA Lafayette Welcomes New Staff Member
VITA recently welcomed a new staff member, Diana Greenough. She is a native of the Lafayette area and an LSU graduate. Diana has spent the last 30 years in curriculum development, instruction, research and community outreach throughout Latin America and the Pacific Islands in the fields of biological and environmental sciences. She was a former Peace Corps volunteer and a VITA tutor in the late 1980s.