After moving from Mexico five years ago, Patricia Segura
knew she would have to master English to stay in the
United States, find a job, and fulfill her goal of studying to become a nurse.
But without command of the language, going to college seemed impossible.
“When I decided to stay in this country, I wanted to keep
studying as I was doing in my country,” she said. “Learning English became a
new short-term goal in my life. I wanted to study English in college but I had
to start from the beginning.”
She began taking community-based English courses offered by
Cañada College at Sequoia High School. Later she moved to John Gill Elementary
School to take a course because her nephew was in the class. When she
finished her course at John Gill, Segura’s professor helped her sign up for
the first level of English as a Second Language at Cañada College.
“When I started at Cañada, my goal was to learn
English to find a job,” she said. “Now I'm pursuing my goal of
becoming a nurse. The more I learn the language the more secure I feel in
achieving my future plans.”
As she mastered English, Segura became more confident. “I
learned how to adapt to my new culture and become part of my new community.”
She took a child development course at Cañada and that led to a job. “That
really changed my life.”
Segura said her first bit of advice to anyone moving to the
United States from another country is to learn English. “It’s not easy,
especially if you work and study, but it’s not impossible. You can change the
way you see the world and many new doors will open. The satisfaction of being
part of the student community is very important.”
The Cañada College CBET/Off-Campus ESL Program is collaboration
between the San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD), the Redwood
City School District (RCSD), and Silicon Valley Community Foundation. The
CBET/Off-Campus ESL Program provides language and computer skills classes for
the workforce. These ESL and computer classes, offered at seven different sites
in the South San Mateo County community, serve as a bridge to on-campus
academic and career programs. Upon completing the program, students receive the
English for the Workforce Award.
For more information, please contact: Jenny Castello, ESL
and CBET, Department Coordinator – castello@smccd.edu; Diana Espinoza-Osuna,
ESL and CBET, Retention Specialist – espinozaosunad@smccd.edu; or the ESL and
CBET/Off-Campus ESL Program- (650) 306-3388.
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