A plaque honoring Oscar Mireles has been installed at Omega School in recognition of his decades of dedication to the school, its students and the broader community through adult education.
The plaque was unveiled Oct. 27 outside Omega School, at the corner of West Badger Road and Perry Street. It recognizes Mireles’ 30 years as the school’s director before his retirement in 2024.
Although officially retired, Mireles remains active in the arts and community work through Latinos Organizing for Understanding and Development, the organization he leads.
“I am truly excited to be here to honor again my friend, somebody who’s been a mentor to me, and whose 30 years of leadership and service have left an everlasting mark on not only Omega School but the broader Madison community,” said Ezi Adesi, Omega School’s current director. “I proudly stand in the role of leadership today at Omega School. I recognize the significance of the torch that you have passed on to me, and I do not take it lightly. I come to work every day ready to serve, lead with compassion.”
Adesi succeeded Mireles in 2025 as director after Omega School was acquired by Literacy Network in late 2024. Adesi credits Mireles with the mentorship he provided to lead with compassion and be “committed to students 100% every day,” he said.
When Mireles thought about transitioning out of Omega School to retire, the first person he had in mind was Adesi. He notes that students need a male role model that can show tough love when needed. Adesi did work for Omega School in 2008 as his first job out of college.
Mireles became Omega School’s director on April 1, 1994 — the worst day to start a new job, he frequently jokes about. He moved to Madison from Milwaukee to start the job, but didn’t imagine he would remain in the city for as long as he did.
He has steadily been a fixture in the community as he helped thousands of students find their own path to succeed in life.
(Photo by Omar Waheed)
Robin Ryan, executive director of Literacy Network, heralded the legacy Mirrlees created in his tenure.
“Even when Oscar retired, he built a legacy that prepares a place for students to come, where the program works around what they need,” Ryan said. “That’s Oscar’s legacy: making the place where students come in to come up, no matter when they expect to do it and what they need to be supported.”
Other longtime supporters of Mireles and Omega School came to the unveiling to voice their experiences with him. They grew to love the mission Mireles strove for with Omega School and the impact he and the school had and continue to have in the community to this day.
The plaque reads:
“Oscar’s persistent one-on-one approach has guided Omega’s students to GED success. We thank him for his caring and strong leadership, his patience and kindness, and his insistence on improving the personal and professional prospects of so many in our community.”
