Adult education isn’t always easily accessible. Many adults with low literacy skills struggle to balance pursing education and fulfilling day to day responsibilities. Navigating life as an adult with limited literacy skills is a challenge UGA alum Malcolm Mitchell understands all too well. 

Growing up, Mitchell had limited access to educational opportunities. With limited options, many children living in poverty turn to sports and music to turn their lives around. For Mitchell, his way out was football. 

“The idea that education could be used as a resource to empower our future made absolutely no sense because there was no tangible examples of it,” Mitchell said. “So I did not focus on education, I focused on athletics.”

 Why It’s Newsworthy: Literacy Action, one of the largest nonprofit providers of free adult basic education in Georgia, closed in September. Literacy Action advocated for adult literacy and provided the community with resources to support adult learners in their pursuit of adult education.  

Literacy Journey

The University of Georgia recruited Mitchell to play football for his athletic talent, but Mitchell desired academic excellence. Moving from an area where academics weren’t a priority to representing the birthplace of higher education was not an easy transition.

At 19, the Georgia wide receiver disciplined himself to improve his literacy skills independently. If it wasn’t football or class, Mitchell’s main priority was reading. Something he never prioritized before.

“I had never voluntarily read a book in my entire life. So I did not possess the skill set to be a proficient reader,” Mitchell said.

His start was humble. Mitchell built his literacy foundation from the ground up. He visited the bookstore often and utilized YouTube for support in teaching himself these skills.

“I went to the picture book section of the bookstore. I started at the easiest spot, and I built from there.”

The Very Hungry…