THOMASVILLE- Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) recently announced two Adult Education superlative prizes for 2024. The college named Brittnee Mathis of Tifton their Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) delegate and Rhea Brashear of Thomasville their Adult Education Teacher of the Year. Both awards represent excellence in adult education.
The Dinah Culbreath Wayne EAGLE Program celebrates adult learners in pursuit of excellence. This singular statewide program recognizes and honors students who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in statewide adult education classes. Selection criteria include student character, attitude, attendance, leadership, and community involvement and activities. Adult Education instructors in public, private, and grantee agencies nominate students at the local program level to participate in the EAGLE recognition program at the state level.
Brittnee Mathis’ nominating instructor Kelley Tucker said that she knew from the first day she met Brittnee, she would be an extraordinary student.
“Brittnee exemplifies honesty, trustworthiness, dependability, motivation, and charisma,” said Tucker. “She would come to class every day and work diligently. Her hard work paid off for her in earning her high school equivalency quickly. ”
Because of a complex family situation, Brittnee was removed from formal education in the fifth grade, though she attempted to return to school several times. As teenagers, she and her sister took full-time jobs at Chick-fil-A to support their family. There, she found a support system and opportunities for personal and professional development. A Chick-fil-A operator encouraged her to earn her GED® through SRTC’s Adult Education program in Tifton, which is where she met Tucker.
“She absolutely astonished me when I asked her about her goal,” said Tucker. “When Brittnee told me she wanted to own her own Chick-fil-A restaurant, I knew I was dealing with a very special individual. This young lady would come to class after working a 12-hour shift on her feet making chicken sandwiches and running a hectic afternoon shift. She would be attentive. I could see the information being absorbed. She took all the necessary notes and paid attention to every word I spoke. She was and still is the model of a studious learner.”
Brittnee earned her GED® less than four months after enrolling in the Adult Education program at SRTC. Next, she plans to earn her Business Management degree at SRTC-Thomasville before moving on to earn her Bachelor of Business. She will soon be the first person in her immediate family to earn a college degree, and one day, she will become the first person in her family to own her Chick-fil-A restaurant.
“It won’t be easy,” she said, “but I know I can and will accomplish it.”
The Adult Education Teacher of the Year is a highly competitive award, which honors excellence in adult basic education. The Adult Education program at SRTC offers Adult Literacy, Career Training, English Language, and GED test preparation classes in Math, Science, Social Studies and English Language Arts. Adult Education services are free and available at various locations in Colquitt, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Thomas, Tift, Turner, and Worth counties.
Rhea Brashear is an Adult Education Reading Specialist at SRTC-Thomasville. Coming from a Montessori background, she has been an educator her entire career. She began working with Adult Education students at SRTC-Thomasville in 2021. In the spring of 2023, she earned her Student Achievement in Reading (STAR) Reading Certification, a rigorous professional development initiative for adult reading instruction created by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education. This year, she was invited to present on Adult Literacy at the Technical College System of Georgia Fall Conference.
Brashear serves as Vice-Chair for Literacy for Thomas County and as the Adult Education Program Representative for the 2023 Thomasville Chamber of Commerce Workforce Plan. She sums up Adult Education in two words: “awesome journey,” explaining that her job as an educator is to restore students’ sense of confidence and pride about their educational opportunities.
“Adult learners have an incredible opportunity to embark on an awesome journey into their future,” said Brashear. “New students often walk into my classroom with a feeling of disillusionment and discouragement. My first job as an educator is to help my students develop a sense of excitement and awe about their education.”
“A tireless commitment to and passion for her students, college, and community adequately describes Rhea,” said SRTC President Jim Glass. “She clearly demonstrates that she is an outstanding instructor through her hard work in her program and in the interest in and welfare for her students.”
Brittnee Mathis and Rhea Brashear will represent SRTC at the annual Dinah Culbreath Wayne EAGLE Leadership Institute in Atlanta next spring.
SRTC offers over 150 degree, diploma, and certificate programs that are designed to get students quickly into their desired career, and 28 general education courses that transfer to the University System of Georgia institutions and 19 private colleges and universities in Georgia. SRTC has instructional sites located in Colquitt, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Thomas, Tift, Turner, and Worth counties for the convenience of their students. The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). SACSCOC is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. For the most up-to-date information on registration, class dates, and program offerings, log on to www.southernregional.edu.
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