April is a native of Carencro, LA. She holds a BA from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. April comes from the daycare world, where she worked with children for ten years, five of the years as the lead teacher in the after-school program and five years as the center director. April began her journey with VITA as an intern in her final semester at the University in 2014, where she found her passion for working with adults. During April’s downtime, she enjoys exercising, camping, spending time with family and friends, and chasing her toddler.

Gail comes to VITA from the world of business administration. She worked many years in retail management in both Houston and Lafayette. She joined the VITA staff part-time in 1997 and then become our full-time administrative assistant. She’s the first face you see when you come to VITA!

Janel is a retired public-school teacher, having taught kindergarten and first grade for 33 years. She started volunteering for VITA after retirement. She loved the mission, and the students, so she was hired to teach the beginning level students and has been an ESL instructor with VITA since 2008. 

Roslyn has worked in Adult Education for a total of 31 years (22 years with the St. Landry Parish School Board and 9 years with VITA). She now serves as VITA’s office assistant and night school instructor, as well as handling student registration, TABE testing, and official HiSET practice testing. 

Stephanie has worked in Adult Education for 24 years, (12 years for St. Landry Parish School Board and 12 years for VITA Adult Education Program). She instructs both day and night classes in the Pre-HiSet and HiSet. Additional duties include the WorkReadyU data implementation, TABE and Practice HiSET test administration.

Phyllis came to VITA in 2020 from the Colorado Department of Human Services with a Bachelor’s degree in Business and 25+ years in grant and financial management. Phyllis is happy to be able to continue working for an agency that supports and encourages education and self-sufficiency. 

Rebecca is a retired public-school teacher who began volunteering with VITA in 2002 as a tutor until she moved away for a few years. Upon returning to the Lafayette area, the enjoyment of working with adult learners led her back to VITA for a new assignment. She coordinates students on their way to earning their high school diploma (HiSET), teaches reading and science, and assists with citizenship classes when needed.

Erin is originally from Shreveport but has called Lafayette home for many years. She joined VITA in 2022 after realizing that her passions for the English language, learning other languages, and making others feel welcome made her a natural fit for English language instruction. In 2023, Erin earned her Level 1 Certification in the Color Vowel® Approach, a method that helps students bridge the gap between written and spoken English. She enjoys teaching learners of all levels and meeting students from around the world. When she’s not working, Erin loves spending time with her family, singing in local choirs, and learning Spanish. She also has the best dog in the world, Zoë.

Rachel joined the VITA team in January 2025 as the Distance Learning and Recruitment Coordinator. She comes from the EdTech world and is excited to bring her experience and knowledge of digital education to VITA Adult Education. She spent the last 5 years working with Administrators and Educators to implement digital Math and Reading learning programs into K-12 schools across the country. She also spent a year teaching English as a Foreign Language to young children in South Korea where she honed her in person teaching skills.

Julia began with VITA by teaching a class once a week while completing her Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. During her two-year long grad-school career, she worked on-campus with the Intensive English Program, helping adults from all over the world learn English. Once she graduated from her program, she started a full-time position with VITA as an Instructor and Tutor/Student Coordinator. She has a passion for helping adults learn English as a Second Language, whether it is to excel in their careers in America or just to navigate everyday life in the English-speaking world.