Joan Acosta - North Vancouver

Joan Acosta's accomplishments have helped introduce the joy of the written word to hundreds of thousands of British Columbians. Born in Guatemala, she taught in Ontario before moving to B.C. in 1979 to become an English-As-a-Second-Language instructor at Capilano College.

Twelve years ago, Joan Acosta was appointed editor of the Westcoast Reader, an ESL source of local, national and international news stories for adults and teens who are improving their English reading skills.

Her vision and determination as the paper's only staff member took the newspaper from a struggling publication with no funding, to a literacy tool highly valued by teachers and treasured today by more than 65,000 new readers.

Joan Acosta's expertise and innovative ideas have been emulated worldwide. As a result, she's in constant demand for workshops across North America. She is the editor of the critically acclaimed "Newcomer's Guide to Resources and Services in B.C.", has published her own best-selling "Coast-to-Coast Reader", and served on boards of several ESL organizations.

Her ability to turn complex material into something easily read and understood by new readers has extended into special issues such as an AIDS newspaper unit now distributed worldwide. Most importantly, her skill and dedication are appreciated daily by those discovering the world of literacy.