Category: ESL
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Sylwia Jarzabek
After coming to the United States from Poland, I wanted to help others. I was thinking about applying for the medical field or a law enforcement career. However, with no sense of career direction and limited English, I decided to apply for English as a Second Language at Truman College. My plan was to learn…
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Georgina Reyes
When Georgina Reyes immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador in 2011 with her three children, her oldest son was eager to earn his GED. Georgina cheered him on with excitement, and, years later, decided she would follow his lead. Determined to prove that “education is for adults, too,” she enrolled in free GED prep…
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Laura Ocon
Originally from Torreón, Coahuila, Mèxico, Laura Ocon came to Chicago more than 30 years ago. A wife and mother of three children, she found it challenging to get important healthcare information in her native Spanish. After starting school, her daughter increasingly served as the family translator. Ocon promised herself that as soon she had time, she…
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Qianhong Ni
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Aziza Mohammadi
Before Aziza Mohammadi arrived in Chicago as a 17-year-old refugee from Sri Lanka, she didn’t have the chance to complete her high school education, but she was determined to go to college. Knowing she would first need to get her high school diploma, the refugee agency that helped Aziza’s family of six resettle in Chicago…
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Alexander Hernandez
In less than ten years, Alexander Hernandez went from not speaking English, to his dream job at Google. When Alexander Hernandez came to the U.S. from Guatemala in 2011, he knew he wanted to learn English first – so he started taking free English as a Second Language classes at Truman College. Once he had…
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Lydia Bellil
When Lydia Bellil moved to the U.S. from France when her husband got a new job, she knew she would finish her college education. Her first hurdle was to improve her English, so she headed to Truman College. Her husband had taken English classes there and it was close to their home, so it was…
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Freddy Lucena
Freddy Lucena came to the U.S. from Caracas, Venezuela in 2016. While he was here on vacation, the political and economic situation in his country was getting worse, so he made the most difficult decision of his life – to make a new life in Chicago. He started taking ESL classes through Truman College in…
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“The ESL hybrid option works so well for me. I go to campus for class on Saturday, but can finish the rest of the work during the week when I have free time.” – R, ESL hybrid student
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Nuttawut Waijorhor
Nuttawut Waijorhor moved to Chicago from Thailand eight years ago, and started taking English as a Second Language classes so he could navigate more easily in the city he now calls home. Currently enrolled in the ESL hybrid class, he spends time in the classroom and time working independently online – completing his work from…