Adrienne Carrol got into adult education when her grandfather-in-law suggested that she apply to be a teacher at Portage Adult Education. She became a teacher at their satellite locations in Lowell and Cedar Lake, and Carrol continued on with adult education when Neighbors’ Educational Opportunities (NEO) later took over.
“I fell into it,” said Carrol. “I went to school to be a social studies teacher for middle school and high school. When I graduated, there weren't a lot of social studies teaching jobs available. I was applying everywhere, and I was willing to drive hours to get to work. While I was job searching, my grandfather-in-law, Leonard Carrol, who ran the Portage food pantry in the Portage Adult building, said, ‘Hey, Portage Adult is hiring teachers.’ I found out that NEO was opening, so as Portage Adult closed down, I reached out because they were the same people.”
Carrol became a teacher at NEO in 2012 before becoming a teacher coordinator. She later became the Director of Adult Education in 2019.
“For teaching in general, it's usually your best teacher or your worst teacher that inspires you to become a teacher, and for me, it was my worst teacher,” said Carrol. “That was the catalyst for me getting into education, and I fell into adult education not knowing how much I would love it.”
Carrol has grown to love adult education and her students. It is about giving these people a second chance. It has allowed her to use her experiences to give her students a great one in return.
“I love the students,” said Carrol. “When you hear their stories, these are students that really need a second chance. I taught people who needed their GED or HSC high school equivalency. I have taught people who wanted to go to college, but it had been a while since they graduated from high school so they forgot some of the skills. These are people who just really want to be here. They maybe didn't have a good experience with school, which kind of tapped into my not amazing experience. I just want to provide an experience for them that would change their mind about education.”
For Carrol, it is the people she works with, from the staff to the students that she enjoys most about her job. She has students in every community, and it is the idea of helping to build the community that motivates her the most.
“It is the people; it is the staff that I work with,” said Carrol. “It is the teachers and the aides that come every day, and that I get to work with the students. It is the students that, despite their barriers, show up as often as they possibly can and give everything they can. It is 100% the people that I'm surrounded by that gets me out of those days where I'm not feeling great.”
When she is not working at NEO, Carrol lives in Hobart where she enjoys the proximity to her family.
“I am very family-oriented,” said Carrol. “I'm a mom and I love my kids. I love to hang out with them, my husband, and my dog. I am also blessed to live in a location where I'm close to my sister and her kids. I'm close to my mom, and I have a good core friend group. The loved ones in my life are very important to me."
In her free time, Carrol also enjoys walking and spending time at Festival Park. She also crochets, reads, and spends time at the Dunes.