The Humans of AAEC (Abisi Adult Education Center) display is open to the public in the City Hall lobby all month. (Photo Courtesy City of Lowell)

LOWELL — When Ratana Heng immigrated from Cambodia to Lowell in 2005, she didn’t speak English, but at 18 years old, she was too old to enroll in high school.

“I didn’t speak English, but I needed to go to work to help my parents day by day and year by year,” Ratana wrote in a memoir on display at Lowell City Hall.

Ratana eventually married and had three children, but couldn’t help her children with their homework, attend meetings at school, or help with doctor’s appointments. Her husband encouraged her to seek out adult education, and she discovered the Frederick Assad Abisi Adult Education Center in Lowell.

She is now an advanced English language learner, fully engaged with her community and her children’s schools, and is one of fifteen students who wrote personal memoirs that are now being shared with the public.

The stories are part of an art display at Lowell City Hall this month, entitled Humans of AAEC (Abisi Adult Education Center). The display was inspired by the world-renowned Humans of New York initiative.

Fifteen advanced English language learners from the AAEC wrote personal memoirs about their journey to America, and the memoirs were paired with photographs by student Ratana Heng.

The exhibit is part of Art in City Hall — an ongoing series of monthly art shows featuring local artists and galleries since 2023.

The AAEC, located on Merrimack Street across from City Hall, is part of the Lowell Public Schools system. The AAEC offers High School Equivalency (HSE) classes and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes for adult learners in the Greater Lowell area.

The AAEC has a history that goes back nearly 50 years in Lowell. It has served thousands of adult education students over the decades and is named in honor of longtime director Frederick Assad Abisi.

The project that led to the display in City Hall was led by AAEC ESOL Lead Teacher Martha Rzepala, who encouraged students to write meaningful stories of their lives after reading Paul Fleischman’s award-winning novella “SeedFolks.” Students crafted personal stories, including how they came to the United States, began families, overcame adversity and change, and shared details of their motivation to continue their education.

“Lowell was the first city in America to be designated as a member of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in recognition of our commitment to lifelong education, and the Abisi Center plays a critical role in providing education here in Lowell,” said City Manager Thomas A. Golden, Jr. “Lowell is the City of Opportunity, and we believe that education provides opportunity to all. We are proud of the Abisi Center, and proud of every student who has worked their way toward a better life and community with the resources it provides.”

For more information on Art in City Hall, visit: likelowell.com/art-in-city-hall.

To learn more about the AAEC, visit: https://abisi.lowell.k12.ma.us/.