I earned a diploma after beginning work at nine

Dear Delyara, I began working in a garment factory at nine years old and learned to sign my name by copying it from an identity card. At thirty-six, after moving to a safer factory, I joined an evening literacy program organized by a workers’ cooperative. I started with the alphabet beside women young enough to be my daughters. Reading was slow because my eyes were tired after ten-hour shifts, and I nearly left when mathematics made me feel foolish. The teacher arranged audio lessons for my bus journey and gave me extra practice without announcing it to the class. Today, I received my secondary-school equivalency certificate. My own daughter read my result aloud, although I could read it myself. I wanted to hear the pride in her voice. Next year, I plan to train in quality control, a position that requires written reports. For most of my life, labels, contracts, and wage slips belonged to other people’s understanding. Today, a certificate with my name proves I can read the systems that once depended on my silence.