Congratulations to Ms. Lorraine Cohn, a YouthBuild HSE (health, Safety, & Environment) Instructor at YDI.

Lorraine was recognized as an Outstanding Teacher by the COABE (Coalition of Adult Basic Education) this month.

The Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) is 15,000 members strong and growing, and provides a variety of services including annually providing competitive national-level awards, incentive grants, and scholarship opportunities through special funding provided by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

The COABE’s mission is to inspire educators so adults succeed and communities thrive. COABE exists to provide leadership, communication, professional development, and advocacy for adult education and literacy practitioners in order to advance quality services for all adult learners. Fifteen thousand members strong, one way that we engage in these activities is by spotlighting excellence in the field. Lorraine Cohn was nominated for COABE’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award and was selected as a runner-up.

Lorraine Cohn has been the Youth Development, Inc. YouthBuild HSE Instructor since January 2015. Ms. Cohn has an amazing skill to motivate and prepare her students for the HSE credential. During Ms. Cohn’s tenure at YDI YouthBuild, 83 students have enrolled for HSE class and an amazing 74.7% have earned their HSE credential. Several more students are lacking just one more exam to complete the credential and they are expected to complete the HSE in the coming weeks. Ms. Cohn’s current cohort has an incredible pass rate of 90.3% including both the Pearson GED® and HiSET® exams. Ms. Cohn has a natural ability to encourage students and to let them know that it is not where they start but how they finish. She has a talent to show students how to take ownership of their own education and has proven that when a student believes in their mind that the can do it, it is only a matter of time before they do it. Ms. Cohn is the current vice president for the New Mexico TESOL Board and has earned a TESOL Endorsement in Strategies for Second Language Learners. She has recently completed the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department Citizen Academy and has been accepted into the 2017 FBI Citizen Academy. She is a wonderful model of an adult educator.

To learn more about COABE’s prestigious award program, go to www.coabe.org or contact awards@coabe.org