Zhanargul came to The Immigrant Learning Center with a head start. She spoke some English, and she knew a bit about life in the United States before moving here with her family from Kazakhstan. She entered our highest-level English class, where she met immigrants from other countries, some of whom started with no English skills at all.
She finished the class feeling more self-sufficient and inspired to help others without the advantages she had. She learned she could volunteer at The ILC, and Zhanargul jumped at the chance to become a teacher aide.
“I like learning English but also I can teach someone, not teaching maybe, like helping. I know that Americans like volunteering, donating,” she said. Regardless of how small her impact might seem, “I can put my contribution here.”
Zhanargul now helps a small group of students in our Remedial Writing class with pronunciation and writing exercises. It helps that it looks great on her CV, but more importantly, it helps her give back.
The ILC helped her with a lot of life’s challenges, not just with learning English. Advisors showed her how to get vouchers for daycare and afterschool programs for her three children. This gave her the freedom to attend classes, and let her husband, who is studying at Boston University on a scholarship, focus on his studies.
Thanks to your support of The ILC, Zhanargul got the tools to improve life for her and her family, along with the lives of others.