Founded in 2019, AES Literacy Institute creates pathways to education, credentials, and economic opportunity. We believe people deserve practical tools, clear expectations, and the chance to put their potential to work.
Our next chapter makes ESB Certification the flagship program, grounded in a legacy of GED preparation, college placement, and career guidance.
AES Literacy Institute empowers historically marginalized communities with the education, career training, and financial literacy needed to break barriers and build generational wealth. By increasing access to knowledge and opportunity, we create pathways to lasting self-sufficiency and stronger communities.
Founded by Jermaine and ShaKimberly Cooper, AES is a minority-led education and workforce development nonprofit rooted in lived experience and community connection.
AES’s documented work includes high school equivalency preparation, college and career guidance, and financial literacy. When the pandemic disrupted in-person learning, AES moved its high school equivalency curriculum and tutoring online and helped students access learning materials and technology.
In 2022, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas named AES Social Innovator of the Year. That recognition reflects the creativity, persistence, and practical problem-solving we continue to bring to education.
We envision a future where historically marginalized communities are no longer navigating systems they were never taught to understand or designed to access.
AES Literacy Institute exists to make education, financial literacy, credentials, and entrepreneurship tools of power rather than barriers; equipping individuals to understand the rules, claim opportunity, and build economic stability and generational wealth on their own terms.
In this future, people are not waiting to be chosen, approved, or rescued; they are informed, credentialed, financially capable, and positioned to move forward with confidence and control.
We treat every individual with respect and dignity.
No judgment, no talking down, no assumptions about where someone comes from or what they’ve been through. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity.
We know trust doesn’t come easy. We believe honesty builds trust. Many people have been misled or taken advantage of before.
We support people, but we don’t sugarcoat the work. We set clear expectations and provide guidance along the way, because growth happens when support and responsibility go together.
We are clear about what our programs do, what they don’t do, and what is required to succeed. No hidden expectations. No surprises.
We don’t do busy work. Everything we teach connects to a real outcome; education, credentials, career growth, business readiness, and stronger financial decisions. We move with intention because our time and our futures matter.
Opportunity shouldn’t feel confusing or out of reach.
We work to make education, financial literacy, credentials, and career pathways clear, understandable, and accessible.
What we learn, we pass on. We believe knowledge is not meant to be held; it’s meant to be shared. When one person levels up, they bring somebody with them, and that is how communities rise.
Confidence doesn’t come from talking; it comes from doing.
We build confidence through structure, repetition, real skills, and real wins. We don’t just motivate people; we help them prove to themselves what they can do.
We don’t fold when it gets hard. We keep showing up, keep learning, keep adjusting, and keep moving. Our community has survived too much to quit when we get close.
We don’t treat setbacks like stop signs. We learn fast, we rework the plan, and we keep going until the goal is met. We believe progress is earned through persistence, not perfection.
AES became known for helping learners finish an educational journey and begin another. Senior Recall combined GED preparation, tutoring, exam support, graduation milestones, and practical resources. College & Career Choices helped people navigate college and trade-school enrollment, financial aid, FAFSA, and career decisions.
In its October 2025 presentation, AES reported lifetime education outcomes of 510 students served, 231 GED graduates, 116 college and trade-school transitions, and more than 4,200 instructional hours.
That work remains central to our story. ESB builds on the same commitment to helping people move from preparation to opportunity.
AES was founded by Jermaine and ShaKimberly Cooper. Their leadership combines community relationships and creative vision with strategy, program administration, and accountability.
They built AES around a simple commitment: treat people with dignity and help them make informed progress toward the future they want.
Jermaine Cooper is the visionary behind AES Literacy Institute and the heartbeat of its connection to the community. Deeply rooted in grassroots work, Jermaine has a natural ability to meet people where they are, build trust, and see potential long before others do. His work is shaped by real-life experience; navigating systems without a roadmap, learning through trial and error, and staying connected to the streets, the neighborhoods, and the voices often overlooked.
Jermaine leads with instinct, creativity, and an unshakable belief that failure is not an option. He sees what’s possible before it exists and pushes ideas forward with passion, urgency, and relentless energy. His strength lies in vision, relationship-building, and keeping AES grounded in the realities of the community it serves.
Where ideas meet execution, ShaKimberly Cooper is the architect who brings the vision to life. She leads the systems, strategy, compliance, and operational backbone of AES Literacy Institute; ensuring that every idea has a plan, every program has a framework, and every detail is handled with intention.
Known for her precision, discipline, and follow-through, ShaKimberly transforms big dreams into organized, sustainable realities. She manages the paperwork, logistics, processes, and long-term strategy that allow AES to function, scale, and remain accountable.
Her leadership ensures that nothing is left to chance and that the mission is not just inspiring, but operational, credible, and built to last.
Our history includes high school equivalency support and education access.
Financial literacy remains part of AES’s documented organizational history.
We design pathways that lead to real progress; credentials earned, skills applied, confidence built, and clearer next steps toward economic stability. Our work connects education, financial literacy, workforce readiness, and entrepreneurship in ways that are practical, measurable, and rooted in real life.
Impact, for us, means people leave better equipped than when they arrived, with tools they can use immediately and pathways they can continue to build on.
Our programs are designed to lead to measurable progress, not just participation. Through AES pathways, participants work toward:
Participants prepare for the Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB) certification. Passing the independent exam is required to earn the credential.
Participants build real-world skills related to professional readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial understanding that can be applied immediately in work, business, and daily decision-making.
Through structured learning and clear expectations, participants gain confidence in navigating education, career, business, and financial systems; replacing uncertainty with informed action.
AES programs support forward movement; whether entering the workforce, advancing in a career, strengthening financial stability, or building toward business ownership and long-term economic mobility.
We work alongside schools, nonprofits, workforce agencies, employers, and community organizations to expand access to education, credentials, and economic opportunity.
Our partnerships are built on shared goals, clear roles, and measurable outcomes; whether hosting programs, supporting credential pathways, or collaborating on workforce and entrepreneurship initiatives.
Your support helps expand access to education, credentials, and financial literacy for individuals who have historically been left out of traditional systems.
Donations directly support program delivery, credential access, and the resources needed to create real, measurable outcomes for youth and adults. Every contribution helps sustain and grow pathways that lead to long-term opportunity.
ESB is our flagship for the relaunch: one clear credential framework, two age-appropriate pathways, and a practical learning experience through the ESB Readiness Lab.
Historical programs are part of our story. Current program availability is confirmed through AES; past work is not an invitation to enroll in an unscheduled program.
AES Literacy