Enhanced English Skills Lead to Community Involvement

From that moment forward, everything changed.

– Arwa Ramadan, Libya

    I currently live in the USA.  I have lived here since May 2015.  I am twenty-seven years old.  I am married, and I have two daughters.

     Previously, I studied medicine in my home country, Libya.  I also took some online courses and earned certificates in child nutrition and cooking.

     In the beginning of my first year in the USA, I faced many struggles including culture shock, language barriers, a change of environment and people around me, and visa restrictions.  The struggle I would like to discuss today is the language hurdle. 

     Although I studied British English in my country, I experienced an English hurdle here because Americans speak differently compared with the English speech I had heard before.  However, to overcome all of the issues I mentioned earlier, I decided to join the English as a Second Language (ESL) classes through East Central College.  The main reasons I decided to join the ESL classes were to improve my English skills, make new international friends, and become involved in the local community.

     From that moment forward, everything changed.  Month by month, the improvement in my English skills showed up, and I gained more confidence as an English speaker.  Hence, I have better social skills that encouraged me to become involved in local events.

     Finally, I am extremely grateful to have gained all of my experiences and skills from my perfect teachers who work hard to fine tune my English skills as well as the English skills of my classmates.