Gabriela immigrated from Honduras to the United States in 2021 with her son, who at the time was four years old. She wanted a better future for her child and therefore, she left her family behind in search of the American Dream. She currently lives in Hardeeville and works part-time in housekeeping in Sun City.
Gabriela initiated her ESL journey with Bluffton Self Help in June of 2022. During one group conversation, the class was asked why they wanted to learn English. Gabriela’s response was touching. She wanted to learn English because her son had experienced some health issues. She was required to interact with the healthcare providers, but she found it very difficult to explain her child’s condition and his symptoms to the professionals. She said that she felt so impotent in this situation. Therefore, she was determined to make sure that she learned English to help her son as much as she could.
Gabriela is an excellent student! In class, she is always inquisitive, engaged, enthusiastic, hardworking, and eager to learn English. Her attendance was excellent, and she showed complete attention throughout each class. She participated in the oral exercises with deliberation. If she didn’t understand something, she was proactive in letting us know of the confusion. Once we her able to help her understand the word or grammatical construct, she then consistently explained it to the other class members and helped them understand. Gabriela was also proactive in looking up the Spanish words for English words in the text to increase her understanding and the understanding of other classmates. Gabriela is a true leader in that regard.
Of all the students in the class, we believe that Gabriela was one of the most studious and determined. As a result, she advanced more quickly and easily through the text than the other students. She recently took her Level 1 post-test, and as we expected, she scored into Level 2. We are confident that Gabriela will continue to have much success in learning English as she proceeds through each level. Recently, Gabriela received her work permit in this country. She is very proud of her sacrifice to leave her home and country, and she now feels that it was worth it!
Sue Summers and Ann Kummer, Volunteer Tutors
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