TWIN Award Recognizes Advocacy for Women

Linda Carlton, principal of San Ysidro Adult School, was recently recognized by the YWCA of San Diego as a Tribute to Women in Industry (TWIN) Mentor award honoree.

The TWIN Mentor award is given to outstanding professional women who have a track record of supporting women in the workplace and helping them achieve their potential.

“Linda Carlton is a dynamic educator who has inspired hundreds of adult learners and novice teachers by providing career guidance and advancement opportunities,” said School Board President Pearl Quiñones. “It’s because of her exemplary leadership that she was recently named lead principal for the district’s adult school division.”

An educator with the Sweetwater District for 31 years, Ms. Carlton has motivated hundreds of adult learners to gain job skills, study for the U.S. Citizenship exam, polish their English or earn a high school or general education diploma through adult school classes.

She’s been instrumental in developing courses in business, health occupations and culinary arts.

In addition to inspiring thousands of students during her career, she has also mentored dozens of teachers.
As regional manager of the California Project for Adult Literacy she has coordinated workshops and trained hundreds of adult education teachers in subjects ranging from working with learning disabled adults to helping adults set short term and long range goals for accomplishing their educational goals.

Ms. Carlton is known for going above and beyond the call of duty to serve her students. When she became principal in 2008, she recognized that the demand for classes exceeded the available budget, classroom space and course offerings. She decided to create a computer learning lab where students can drop in between 8 am to 8 pm four days a week to get ahead. The lab is now used by several hundred students each week.