Photo Credit: Brattleboro Reformer
BRATTLEBORO — Brattleboro Area Immigrant Driving Academy and partners celebrated 21 students who obtained their driver’s licenses while the new program took shape.
Students originally from places such as Afghanistan, Congo and Ethiopia were praised for their dedication and success at a ceremony at Adult Learning on Sunday.
The program began in June 2025 to address challenges faced by immigrants, including language barriers and cultural norms, in obtaining driver’s licenses. The aim is to integrate immigrants into the community by teaching them to drive, thereby enhancing their independence and opportunities, said Karren Meyer, who runs Brattleboro Area Driving Academy and now Brattleboro Area Immigrant Driving Academy.
Meyer was known to Michael Roj, of the Windham County Sheriff’s Office, for her work teaching students from Leland & Gray Union Middle and High School how to drive. He asked her to join him in a new project working with immigrant populations.
“The language barrier was tough,” Meyer said. “Some of the women were just totally in shock. They were like, never in their wildest dreams would they ever think that they would be allowed to drive a car because in their country, that would never happen. And now here they are — not only are they allowed to drive the car but they have an actual license and can drive the car wherever they want to drive, which is just totally amazing to them.”
Meyer said she loves seeing the students smile when they get in the car. She described the work being “100 times” more rewarding than teaching high school students, as driving allows the immigrants to get to important appointments and help their families.
