Literacy New Jersey
Literacy for Life 2019 Awards
Student Excellence
Gloria arrived in the U.S. with beginner English and in her own words, progress hindered by one factor: fear. There was the fear of asking for help, even for directions on the street; the distress of answering the telephone; and the everyday anxiety of knowing that someone might say something she didn’t understand, and react unkindly when she couldn’t respond. But much has changed for this Bogota, Columbia native since arriving in the United States in 2017. She now routinely speaks with strangers, as shown by the daily calls she places as a volunteer in our office. She is much more confident in meetings with her daughters’ schools. And her verbal proficiency reading and writing skills have improved immensely. In two years, she has gone from a beginner’s ESL class at LVA to the highest level of proficiency in the New Community Corporation Adult Learning Center’s high school equivalency program.
Gloria had three basic goals when she entered the program. She wanted to be involved in her daughters’ lives at school, to work in an office setting and contribute to a company that requires a worker to communicate in English, and to overcome her fear of speaking in English on the telephone. She met these goals by immersing herself in the tasks of the offices of her English programs.
Gloria earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting in Columbia and became a budget coordinator, the third-highest position of a company of 5,000. A similar position in the U.S. requires a CPA designation, a difficult undertaking for most holders of accounting degrees earned oversees,
but Gloria is determined to do whatever is required to resume her career.
No doubt about it, Gloria has the same fears as any learner of a foreign language. What makes her unique is that she confronts those fears daily, inspiring all those around her.
Gloria had three basic goals when she entered the program. She wanted to be involved in her daughters’ lives at school, to work in an office setting and contribute to a company that requires a worker to communicate in English, and to overcome her fear of speaking in English on the telephone. She met these goals by immersing herself in the tasks of the offices of her English programs.
Gloria earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting in Columbia and became a budget coordinator, the third-highest position of a company of 5,000. A similar position in the U.S. requires a CPA designation, a difficult undertaking for most holders of accounting degrees earned oversees,
but Gloria is determined to do whatever is required to resume her career.
No doubt about it, Gloria has the same fears as any learner of a foreign language. What makes her unique is that she confronts those fears daily, inspiring all those around her.