profile

Aminata Sy

6 Messages for English and or Adult Learners

Published 2 months ago • 1 min read

The Destined Newsletter

6 Messages for English and or Adult Learners || August 2026 || ISSUE #26

Author of the memoir Destined: A Story of Resilience and Beating the Odds

Dear Reader,

I was an English learner for years after immigrating to America. And I was an adult learner throughout my academic journey in America. I went from a high school dropout to earning a GED and later an associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degree. I share my experiences in my memoir Destined.

During the launch week of Destined last year, I had a conversation with Advocast, an adult education podcast by the national organization Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE). Here are the key messages I shared for English and or adult learners.

Do you know a community college or university student who would benefit from receiving my monthly newsletter with tips on learning, reading, writing, or resilience?
  1. We need to have a deep understanding of why we’re pursuing an education in order to stay the course when things get hard.
    ​
  2. We all start at different points in our English and or adult learner journeys, and we each have specific circumstances. So we just need to start and to keep going.
    ​
  3. English learning in America is not just about learning a language but about establishing a life for yourself.
    ​
  4. It’s important to focus on the task and goal at hand, even as we have bigger aspirations.
    ​
  5. We only need one consistent person in our lives to support our educational journey.
    ​
  6. Returning to school in America and continuing your education is about trying to improve your life and hopefully taking it as far as you want.

Which one of these 6 messages resonates with you the most and why?

Here is the link to the full conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=273MAFuMBvE​
I would love your review of Destined on Amazon. Your review can focus on answering the following question: Can you share how you were impacted by Destined?

Keep going!

Aminata Sy
Author of Destined: A Story of Resilience and Beating the Odds

4508 Sansom Street Philadelphia, PA 19139
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​

Aminata Sy

Read more from Aminata Sy

The Destined Newsletter 3 Ways to Build Resilience || September 2026 || ISSUE #27 Author of the memoir Destined: A Story of Resilience and Beating the Odds Dear Reader, At the core of resilience is deciding how we respond to life. Do we crumble when life gets hard? Or do we continue to face life no matter what? Here are 3 ways to build resilience. Taking risks Taking risks for me means having zero guarantee that we’ll achieve a goal but trying our best anyway. eeping situations in perspective...

about 1 month ago • 1 min read

The Destined Newsletter The Gift of Writing || July 2026 || ISSUE #25 Author of the memoir Destined: A Story of Resilience and Beating the Odds Dear Reader, Writing can allow us to reflect on the distance we’ve traveled. In doing so, we’re reminded of what we already have in many aspects of our lives. We tend to focus on what’s missing in our lives, such as thinking about our next goal. Writing about where we’ve been shows us how far we’ve come. One of our most important teachers is our own...

3 months ago • 1 min read

The Destined Newsletter Dare to Start Over || June 2026 || ISSUE #24 Author of the memoir Destined: A Story of Resilience and Beating the Odds Dear Reader, Dare to start over. I write about my many experiences starting over in my memoir Destined. Start over scared. Start over while uncertain. Start over without the information and connection you need. Start over with faith, believing that you’ll figure it out along the way and that you’ll get what’s yours. Start over knowing that one day...

4 months ago • 1 min read