11.21.2011

Williamson Graduate Stories

Sulma:
Sulma heard through her neighbors about CWJC of Williamson County. Although she was able to speak English well enough to get by at her job in the restaurant business, and to speak to her children’s teachers, she wanted more. Her children who attended school in Williamson County were speaking English very well, and she was afraid that she would be left behind. Her dream of getting her GED one day also made her want to take classes at CWJC. She enrolled in the Fall of 2010 and immediately started with the Level 2 classes.  She was perfect in her attendance and her teachers were pleased with her hard work and progress. “I love coming to class and learning how to speak English the right way,” Sulma said. Her children are very proud of her, and she has decided to come back to CWJC to stay in Life Skill classes and begin with a tutor so that she can go on to get her GED. “That is my dream; I want my family to very proud of me.”

Monica:
When the Williamson County site opened in 2007, there were 17 students enrolled in the ESL classes.  Monica was one of the original students and one of the youngest. Her family had moved here from Mexico several years before, and she helped her family get back and forth to the hospital whenever her dad needed dialysis for his kidneys. She was frustrated because she was unable to understand the doctors and nurses that came into the room to treat her father, and she could not ask them many questions because of her lack of English skills. When I met her, she did not speak English very well at all. She has worked very hard to learn English, and today she boasts that she is able to communicate very well with her father’s doctors and nurses. “I have enjoyed coming to the classes and learning. The teachers are wonderful and everyone makes me feel so welcome. I don’t feel that anyone laughs at me if I don’t say the English words correct.”  Monica has enjoyed spending time in both the ESL classes and bible study. She is looking forward to working in the Life Skill and computer classes. 

Erika:
Erika has a smile that will light up a room. She and her son were faithful to come every week for English classes.  She was one of those students who couldn’t seem to get enough.  Her son, Marcos, was exactly the same way.  During her 3 years at CWJC, she has added a daughter to her family and seen her husband begin taking ESL classes as well.  Her determination has caused him to want to go back to get his GED.  Erica is one of those students who will take on a challenge and do her very best. Her family has grown in their English skills as well as in their spiritual lives. This last winter, Marcos accepted Jesus Christ as his savior, and Erika reads the Bible with him every evening. As a family, they go to church every Sunday and she feels that CWJC has shown her family that God is a very important part of any family life. She credits her classroom teachers and her bible study teacher for helping her reach her goal. “They were always here, ready to help me and teach me what I needed. The childcare was not just a place to put my child to be watched, but a place where he could be loved and learn about Jesus.” Her goal was to be able to speak to her son’s teachers and help him with his homework. Tears welled up in her eyes when she talked about working with her son’s teachers this year to help him overcome some academic problems. “He is doing so much better in school, and I felt good that I was able to talk with the teachers and understand what they were saying to me.”