Wilkes University recently named Jesse R. Simon of Kingston, Pennsylvania, as the recipient of the Outstanding Adult Learner of the Year Award. Simon graduated on Saturday, May 17, with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood and elementary education. Prior to Wilkes, Simon earned his associate’s degree in social work from Bucks County Community College.
Simon’s road to higher education was far from smooth. In the last four years, he came out as a trans man, separated from his husband, moved out of his home and raised his teenage daughter while going to Wilkes part-time and working full-time at Luzerne County Head Start, a federal and state-funded early childhood education program for children and families. Simon has been at Head Start for 17 years and fulfilled a student-teaching internship there in his final semester.
Jayme Hines, adjunct professor for undergraduate education, nominated Simon for the award. Hines was one of Simon’s advisors and course instructors.
“Jesse is an inspiration. I was always so impressed with how seamlessly he navigated all the challenges he faced,” says Hines. “He is an exceptional student who adds so much value to every course he is in and creates work that is meaningful.”
It wasn’t just Simon’s incredible willpower to forge ahead. He acknowledges the tremendous support he received from Wilkes from the start. During his first two years at Wilkes, he was not on the best of terms with his family but has since rekindled his relationship with them.
“There was a lot of stress in separation from my partner, family issues, parenting, school and working… you feel like everything is on you and it can be a lot.”
In going through these family conflicts and personal stresses, Simon is grateful to Hines, as well as Karen Frantz Fry, associate professor for undergraduate education, and Diane Polachek, professor of undergraduate education, for their aid and for connecting him with Wilkes University’s counseling services on campus. Academically, Simon has a deep respect and appreciation for the professors always being accessible and available.
“They genuinely care about the success of their students and know each one individually,” says Simon. “There’s no reason why you can’t do well at Wilkes because they’re supporting you the whole time. And they give you really good feedback to act and improve on.”
Simon is also involved in the community and does service work with the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce, Wilkes, Pennsylvania Special Olympics and Chalkfest. It isn’t just the joy of giving back for Simon, but also believing in the importance of being engaged with the community that students are part of to maintain a presence for them and their families. He also serves on the board of directors for Maternal Family Health Services.
Looking ahead, Simon hopes to land a teaching position at Head Start or in a diverse school in the area. Growing up, his father was a millworker in western Pennsylvania, and when the mills closed, he was either unemployed or earning minimum wage at the most.
“If students and families can see my roots and where I’ve come from, they can see there is a pathway out of that poverty into moving forward and being successful,” says Simon.
Now, at 45, Simon is the first member of his family to earn a bachelor’s degree.
“Jesse has brought so much to Wilkes University, and I could not be more proud of all that he has accomplished,” says Hines.
About the Outstanding Adult Learner of the Year Award
The Outstanding Adult Learner of the Year Award is sponsored by the Luzerne County Council on Adult Higher Education (LCCAHE), a coalition of area colleges and universities focused on continuing education for today’s professionals. Members of LCCAHE are King’s College, Luzerne County Community College, Misericordia University, Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Wilkes University. For thirty-two years, participating institutions have named an award recipient who has overcome adversity and continued to excel academically.