Adult Education

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​Catholic Charities' Center for Educational Opportunity provides adult education courses to give all who wish to further their knowledge the opportunity to do so. Students use the knowledge gained to improve their lives through enhanced English-speaking skills, job skills training, obtaining their high school equivalency, taking their learning to the next level, and even helping their children with homework assignments.  We are a diverse education team of over 15 teachers, support staff, and volunteers dedicated to strengthening the Albuquerque community by helping adult students achieve their educational goals in a safe and supportive learning environment. Over 400 students enrolled the program’s classes last semester.

*Catholic Charities is located in Albuquerque.  While all of our classes are currently offered online, we do only serve students that are located in the Albuquerque Metro area and the immediately surrounding areas.  If you live outside of Albuquerque, please consult this link to find an adult education facility near you.*

Online Classes

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Fall 2020  
September 15, 16         First day of online classes
November 23 - 27        Thanksgiving week NO CLASSES
December 7 – 11          Returning Student Registration in class
December 14 - 18         Last Week of Instruction

Spring 2021 
December 7 – Returning Student Registration opens
December 14 – Open Registration
December 31 – Registration Closes
January 18 – Martin Luther King – No classes
January 20 – First day of online classes

Registration

Spring 2021 registration for new students will be open from December 14-31. Classes start  on January 20, 2021.

The teachers call students after registration to discuss the schedule and ensure students have the online tools necessary to take the classes. 

​If you have any questions. you can contact the director of Adult Education degenhardtk@ccasfnm.org  

See the Schedule of classes below.

Students should refer to the Guide to start classes to get the technology ready to attend classes. We recommend all students to watch the instructions videos in English, Spanish and Arabic below. 

Press release - August 17, 2020

​Laptop Loans for Students

​To help with the move to online learning and to aid students with their academic success, Catholic Charities is lending laptops for students to borrow. If you need a laptop, please inform your instructor.

1. Have I signed a Student Laptop Agreement Form before I begin using my laptop?  It is the student’s responsibility to care for the equipment and ensure it is maintained in a safe environment. If the computer is lost, stolen or damaged, students should immediately file a report with Catholic Charities.

2. Have I taken inventory of my laptop, which includes an AC laptop power adapter, and battery?  Is my computer in good working condition? 

3. Have I viewed the following videos before using my student laptop? 
Students will need to set up technology in their device before starting the semester. 

Click  the "Guide to start classes" below to learn about the online tools you need.

If you need to read this document in another language, make sure to choose your language in the top left corner of the page.
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​I) setting up your Google email account,
II) using Zoom to communicate with your instructor, and
III) joining your Google Classroom. 

Required Technology for Online Learning 

Before you get started, ask yourself:
  •  Do I have a laptop, desktop computer, Chromebook, tablet, or smartphone with a built-in camera and microphone access? If you don't have a computer write to the director of Adult Education degenhardtk@ccasfnm.org  to borrow one. Limited computers available. 
  • Do I have stable internet access (hotspot, cable, wireless, cellular, etc.) on my device? The City of Albuquerque have wifi hotspots 
  • Do I have Google Chrome installed on my device? Click here for directions
  •  Can I open a PDF document on my device? Click here for directions 
Online Courses Available This Semester

Levels 1-5

Offered in English or Spanish

ACCUPLACER English Exam Prep

Conversation in English for ESL learners

Levels 1-3

Literacy, primary and secondary education
Other Programs​

NM Roofing Contractor Association

Roofers Certificate of Apprenticeship (NM State Apprenticeship Council)

Spring 2021 Course Schedule

Days: M (Monday), T (Tuesday), W (Wednesday), Th(Thursday), F (Friday), Sat (Saturday)
Course
Code
Day
Time
Teacher
​Status Registration

College Readiness (Accuplacer Preparation) 
*​requires 2 hrs/week independent virtual language lab time*
ACCU1 
Sat
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Ammar, Dania
Closed
Citizenship Prep Level 1
CIT1.1
T/Th
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Van Tilborg, Dana
Closed
Citizenship Prep Level 1
CIT1.2
T/Th
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Van Tilborg, Dana 
Closed
Citizenship Prep Level 2
​CIT2
M/W
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm​
Cowan, Aaron 
Closed
​Citizenship Prep Level 3
CIT3
T/Th
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Cowan, Aaron 
​Closed
ESL for Arabic Speakers
​*​requires 2 hrs/week independent virtual language lab time*
ESLA
Sat
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Ammar, Dania
Closed
English as a Second Language Level 1
ESL1
T/Th
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Atencio, Paulette
​Closed
English as a Second Language Level 2
ESL2 
M/W
11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Van Tilborg, Dana
​Closed
English as a Second Language Level 3
ESL3.1 
​M/W
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm 
Van Tilborg, Dana
​Closed
English as a Second Language Level 3
ESL3.2
M/W
9:00 am - 11:00 am
Nunez, Laura & Marrujo, Mercy
Closed
English as a Second Language Level 4
ESL4
T/Th
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Bustamante, Maria 
Closed
Conversation Partners for ESL
*must be ESL level 2 or above*
ESLCP
Sat
9:00 am - 11:00 am
Atencio, Paulette & Nunez, Laura
Closed
ESL for Dari and Pashto Speakers
​*​requires 2 hrs/week independent virtual language lab time*
ESLDP
Sat
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm 
Ammar, Dania
Closed
High School Equivalency - taught in English
*open by invitation of instructor only*
HSEE CR
M/Th
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm 
Stanton, Taylor
Closed
High School Equivalency - taught in English
HSEE1
M/W
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Boese, Philip
Closed
High School Equivalency - taught in English
HSEE2
T/Th
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Stanton, Taylor
Closed
High School Equivalency - taught in English
HSEE3
M/W
10:30 am - 12:30 pm 
Boese, Philip
Closed
High School Equivalency (Advanced Math)
​- taught in Spanish
HSES1
M/W
8:00 am - 10:00 am
Vasquez, Carlos
​Closed
High School Equivalency (Basic Math)
​- taught in Spanish
HSES2
M/W
10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Vasquez, Carlos
Closed
High School Equivalency (Advanced Math)
​- taught in Spanish  
HSES3 
M/W
6:00 pm 8:00 pm
Vasquez, Carlos
Closed
High School Equivalency: Reading, Social Studies, Science - taught in Spanish
HSES4 
M/W
10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Sanchez, Juan 
Closed
High School Equivalency: Reading, Social Studies, Science - taught in Spanish
HSES5 
M/W
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm​
Sanchez, Juan 
Closed
High School Equivalency: Writing - taught in Spanish  
HSES6 
T/Th
10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Sanchez, Juan
Closed
High School Equivalency: Writing - taught in Spanish
HSES7
T/Th
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Sanchez, Juan
Closed
High School Equivalency: NMRCA
HSES8
F
8:00 am - 12:00 am
Vasquez, Carlos
Closed
 
 
 
 
 
 

Meet our Team

Click in the name to read the biography. 
Kris Degenhardt
​Director
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Kris grew up on the east coast and has spent over thirty years in adult education.  He has taught in many diverse classrooms and worked with immigrant and refugee students as well as students in corrections and returning citizens. 
Kris came to the Center for Educational Opportunity at Catholic Charities from the University of Vermont. Kris loves working with teachers and students in adult education.  When not working, he enjoys cooking, the works of James Baldwin and his five amazingly special small rescue dogs.
Taylor Stanton
​Program Coordinator
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Taylor received his BA in Africana Studies from Oberlin College, with a concentration in Caribbean Literature and Education. While attending Oberlin, he was awarded the department's Excellence in Academic Acheivement certificate and membership to the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. Over the course of his career, Taylor has facilitated educational, enrichment, and career readiness programming for returning citizens and justice-involved families; new immigrants and refugees; and critically at-risk youth. In his freetime, Taylor enjoys making mixed media art and pushing a skateboard alongside his heeler puppy.
 

Taylor works in adult education because he loves recognizing and mentoring the critical, original minds of our learners, heeding and learning every step of the way.
​

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Maria Bustamante
ESL and Citizenship instructor

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​María T. Herrera Bustamante is currently an English As A Second Language, Citizenship, and Digital Literacy educator at Catholic Charities in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Maria is from Albuquerque's South Valley, the fifth of seven children born to Mexican parents.  She holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of New Mexico in Journalism and Mass Communication with a concentration in Advertising along with a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish.  Her energy and love for the arts has guided her to express herself through music, dance and theatre. Maria currently serves as a Board Member with the Albuquerque Theatre Guild.  When she is not teaching you might find her crafting a song, dancing to salsa, planning for a theatre production, or learning to cook Ghanaian cuisine from her partner as well as spending time with family.
DANA VAN TILBORG
ESL and Citizenship instructor

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Dana grew up in Florida and moved to New Mexico in 1989 to attend the University of New Mexico and study Cultural Anthropology.   She has her M.A. in Cultural Anthropology and Ph.D. in Educational Thought and Sociocultural Studies from U.N.M.  She has taught high school Social Studies for 15 years in the U.S. (in Albuquerque and Denver) and internationally in Mexico (at the American School Foundation of Guadalajara) and China (at the Nansha College Preparatory Academy).  Her favorite things to do are travel, read, eat amazing food, and be in nature.  
Tara Armijo-Prewitt
Associate Director​
Tara grew up in Albuquerque, graduated from Albuquerque High School, and later from the University of New Mexico before attending graduate school at the University of California Davis. Tara has worked in various roles in education since 2011 and is the current Associate Director for the Center for Educational Opportunity. When not working, Tara enjoys bug hunting and exploring the outdoors with her husband and two sons.​
Laura Nunez
ESL instructor 
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​Laura grew up in Albuquerque. She received her Bachelor’s degree from UNM and her Master’s degree from San Diego State. Laura has been a Bilingual teacher and a Spanish teacher. She feels that her mission to teach immigrants is still being fulfilled. She is in a church choir and she enjoys Afro-Cuban dancing and the theater.
​
Philip Boese
HSE instructor
​
​
Philip is a retired high school chemistry teacher now working to serve students in less advantaged communities.  He attended Vanderbilt University and U of Alabama graduate school before teaching in public schools in California for many years.  He enjoys helping students bring their math and language arts skills up to high school equivalency level.  Away from work, he enjoys his family, wife, children and grandchildren, and practicing his Catholic faith.  ​
Mercy Marrujo
Data Technician
Mercy Marrujo is a first generation graduate with honors from The University of New Mexico. She is a community led and oriented poet. Her poems have been performed at the Secret Gallery and El Chante Casa de Culutra in Albuquerque. Her work is published with the multi-cultural journal, Chachalaca Review, at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Mercy is also a social activist advocating for the experiences of BIPOC to be recognized and valued. The interviews she conducted for her undergraduate thesis; “Welfare Queens and Realities: Critical Race Theory in Motherhood and Welfare” were published to Story Corps in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Mercy is passionate about advocating for educational access to underserved populations. In her practicum she tutored young adults in rhetoric and writing, and volunteer taught adult ESL classes for Reading Works. She now works full time for Catholic Charities as a Data Technician in the Center for Educational Opportunity. 
​
Carlos Vasquez
HSE and NMRCA instructor
​
​
Un Catracho (hondureño) Graduado como ingeniero electromecánico en 1994 en la Universidad de Honduras y el 2008 como ingeniero Industrial y finanzas en la universidad tecnológica Centroamericana. En el 2009 decidí impartir clases para adultos hasta la actualidad en la ciudad de Albuquerque. En el 2017 inicie como instructor de NMRCA (New Mexico Roofing Association) educando aprendices  camino a certificación de Roofer Journeyman. He tenido el privilegio impartir clases de GED(General Education Development), HSE (High School Equivalency) e informática. Sirviendo a  inmigrantes de diferentes naciones y ciudadanos americanos, además, imparto clases  en inglés y español.  Me encanta dar clases de soccer, bailar y en mis ratos libre disfruto con mi  con mi esposa e hijos además,  hacer viajes  terrestres e internacionales y poder conocer otras culturas ​
Juan Sanchez
​HSE instructor
​
​
Juan Sánchez grew up in Cuba and migrated to the U.S. when he was 22 years old. He earned a B.A. in Philosophy and an M.A. in Religious Studies at Florida International University, in Miami. He joined Catholic Charities in January of 2018, where he currently teaches High School Equivalency. He enjoys road trips, movies, and books.   ​
Aaron Cowan
ESL, Computer and Citizenship instructor
​
​Aaron is a doctoral student in Learning Sciences, researching augmented and virtual reality teaching methods.  He has master’s degrees in Organizational Learning and Public Administration, as well as undergraduate degrees in mathematics, computer science.  He started teaching in math and science at West Mesa and Manzano High Schools.  He teaches in the School of Adult Basic Education and the Business Information Technology department at Central New Mexico Community College, where he served as a faculty senator and a union representative.  In his spare time he has acted in approximately 50 movies, TV shows, and commercials.  He has published several eBooks in the science fiction and humor genres.  He enjoys volunteering with the Animal Welfare Department, where he has adopted several cats and dogs, and has raised money for animal advocacy groups like the ASPCA.  He hopes to be able to enjoy travel again soon, and is working hard to improve his knowledge of Spanish, French, and Esperanto.  He is also politically active and has served as a precinct chair, primary delegate, and voter registration agent.  He teaches computing, HSE, and citizenship classes for Catholic Charities.​​
Picture
Painting by "RonTango Jr., Artist"
Dania Ammar
ESL and ACCUPLACER Prep. instructor
​
 Dania Ammar is a PhD student at UNM’s Rhetoric and Writing Program. She is passionate about helping underrepresented ESL students transition to and flourish at higher education, so that the journey of growth may never end. Dania supports students with academic reading and writing skills, passing the ACCUPLACER, and navigating CNM’s as well as UNM’s registration processes and resources. ​(The painting is by "RonTango Jr., Artist")