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She's never spoken in front of a large audience before and doesn't like to bring attention to herself, but knows it's for a good reason.

Pily Rodriquez of Hanley Falls spoke Feb. 22 in St. Paul as part of Legislative Day, a day to advocate for adult education.

"Pily is uncomfortable drawing attention to herself, but she did an awesome job at the Capitol," said Pat Thomas, the coordinator for Adult Basic Education Southwest Minnesota.

"We here at this program feel very it's very important to have our students be more involved in the legislative process," said Thomas. "It's a tremendous value to hear the stories shared. It puts meaning in what the program does and what we have to offer."

Rodriquez came to the United States from Mexico in September of 1996. She and her husband, Antonio Rodriquez, have two children.

Pily Rodriquez did not speak English at all when she came to America.

"It was very hard when I took my kids to see the doctor, or made an appointment for them," she said.

By attending Southwest ABE classes, she learned English and then participated in other ABE programs.

In 2006, she became a certified nursing assistant through a FastTRAC program, a state program which fills a need in the marketplace and helps put people to work using ABE, local colleges and WorkForce Centers.

In June of 2008, she became an American citizen.

"I studied very hard for two months with Mrs. Paulette (Gimmestad) and then by myself," she said. "My favorite part was studying civics. I loved learning about the history of the United States of America. It is totally different than Mexico. It was a very hard class but a good one. The test had 100 questions and I got them all right."

After working as a CNA for eight months at Clarkfield Home Care, Rodriquez is a substitute paraprofessional at Lakeview Schools. She also teaches Spanish and cooking classes through Lakeview Community Education.

"I know if I keep going like this, soon I will get what I want," she said.

Her dream is to attend college to be a Spanish teacher.

At Legislative Day, Thomas said she noted that some legislators who spoke had used ABE services and received their GEDs.

"They came here with no language skills, and through the use of adult education programs gained language skills and were able to pursue careers in our own legislative body," she said.

Thomas said it is important for people to share their stories with elected officials so they can understand the value of the funding they authorize.

"They look at statistics and numbers, but the stories help them understand," she said.

Thomas said a student from the Adult Education program has spoke at Legislative Day since its inception. She said Marshall has always supported ABE's endeavors.

"That speaks volumes about how this community's efforts to help its neighbors succeed in this community," she said.