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Aryn M. Kyer

Biography

Aryn Kyer, 27, who grew up estranged from her mother and dropped out of high school to earn her own living, was inspired to enroll in Northwestern Connecticut Community College in Winsted, CT, after teaching English as a Second Language to an immigrant woman from the Ukraine. She has become an honor student, won the College English Award, and worked at least-half time throughout her studies, including as a legislative intern at the state capitol. She will attend Smith College and plans to earn a bachelor's degree with a focus on women's studies.

Aryn Kyer felt deprived of a mother's love in childhood, raised only by her father along with two sisters, and that profoundly influenced her teen-age years. "I was painfully shy and withdrawn," she wrote. "It wasn't until my mid-twenties that I began to feel a degree of confidence with regard to my femininity and my role as a woman in this world.

Helping an extremely determined older woman from Ukraine learn English transformed Ms. Kyer's outlook. "Olga's success inspired me to rethink my plans, follow my passions, change my major, and continue my education in pursuit of my master's degree," Aryn said.

Aryn became a liberal arts major, partly persuaded by her English instructors that her writing skills were superior, and compiled a 3.92 grade point average while becoming a campus leader in student government, a tutor, and a note-taker for students with hearing loss. She also became a counselor for a sexual assault crisis center, a volunteer at her local Red Cross chapter, and an intern for state Rep. Walter Pawelkiewicz at the state Capitol in Hartford, CT. "When Aryn began working for me she was just a bit shy and reserved," the legislator wrote. "As the experience continued she developed into an articulate and passionate advocate for the poor, needy and voiceless."

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