Age: 42
Residence: Swissvale
Family: Partner, Stephanie Brulia.
Occupation: English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor in East Liberty for the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council.
Education: Dual bachelor's degree in political science and Italian, and a master's degree in Italian language and literature, both from the University of Pittsburgh.
Background: Formerly an Italian instructor at Kent State University, as well as at Pitt and Duquesne University; joined the literacy council as an instructor in 2000 as an AmeriCorps volunteer; became a full-time staff instructor the next year.
Noteworthy: Winner of the Outstanding Adult Educator of the Year award given by the Pennsylvania Department of Adult Basic Education for her work with students -- some of them refugees -- from nations such as Bosnia, Bulgaria, Japan, Iraq, Russia, Somalia and Brazil.
Quote: Elson said her work is often as a kind of cultural broker, using language to connect adult students and their children to the U.S. landscape. "As natives, we don't think about it. But imagine having limited or no English skills and trying to read a bus schedule, or talk to a teacher about your child's problems. They're very brave."
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