MCC’s Coleman and Cole: Competition champs
Meridian Community College Adult Education staffers Jamila Brown Coleman and Margarette Cole pack a one-two punch when competing with colleagues worldwide.
Specifically, they're the first and second-place winners in the Coalition on Adult Basic Education's (COABE) contest held during National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week. The competitive event featured a series of activities, including webinars, podcasts, and networking opportunities for educators, adult learners, community and business leaders, legislators, and adult education supporters.
The top prize was a paid registration fee of $700 for the 2024 COABE conference in Nashville, Tennessee. A $50 Amazon gift card and a COABE magazine subscription were prizes for the second and third-place winners.
During the online challenge contest, participants, including Coleman and Cole, earned points by giving their opinions on polls, engaging in various discussions, connecting with fellow staffers, sharing tips, and exchanging resources. The more challenges completed, the more points gained.
"When I started the contest, I was thinking about learning new teaching tools and resources that would help my class, in addition to our adult education program," Cole said as to why she entered the competition.
"Margarette began the challenge first and told me about it," Coleman said. Though Coleman was initially uninterested, she soon delved in. “There were questions on polls that I answered just because they were interesting topics," she said. And as others chimed in with their comments, Coleman's interest snowballed.
"I didn’t pay attention to the fact that I was accumulating points all while just networking," Coleman said.
Cole initially led the contest for a short while; her competitive side came out when she realized she was racking up points. "I was constantly checking to see if I was still in the first place. Then Jamila passed me. I wasn't upset. I was okay with her surpassing me since she's my co-worker."
When Cole told Coleman she was beating her on the leaderboard – the scoreboard – "it was now a competition," Coleman said.
"So, the whole week was filled with us competing not just with one another but with others across the nation," Coleman added.
But it was the final session, a late-night showdown that lasted into the wee hours of the morning when the winner would be decided.
An adult education director from California was surpassing Cole and Coleman's scores. "When she started getting on the leaderboard and passed me, pushing me to third place, that took my participation to another level," Cole said.
It was on.
"It was Friday evening at this point," Coleman said, “so I would get up around midnight to see who had won."
"Well, I overslept, and upon looking, I saw the educator from California had taken over first place. I was in second, and Margarette was in third," Coleman remembered.
But that didn't stop the two MCCers; they gave it more than the old college try.
"The contest wasn't over at midnight like I initially thought, so I knew I still had a chance to take the lead. While doing so, she and Margarette were doing the same,” Coleman said.
It was now past one o'clock in the morning.
"All three of us continued around 3 a.m.,” Coleman said. “I'm embarrassed to say that I was even up at 3 a.m. on Saturday participating trying to beat the California participant," Cole said. "I really didn't want to give up, but I had to be at my second job in a few hours, so I had to throw in the towel," she added.
Coleman recalled that Cole called her and said she was stopping, "so I finally stopped, too," Coleman said.
And their competitor? She kept at it, but Coleman had gained an unsurpassable wide margin. This contestant won the magazine subscription.
Jennifer Whitlock, MCC director of adult education, applauds her colleagues and their drive. “These two are true competitors; I love having them on my team." Their passion for adult education and advocacy for their students is evident – even in first and second places.
Visit meridiancc.edu/adulteducation for more information.