Improved language skills leads to sense of independence for Santa Paula Adult Education student
Photo by Michele Nicole Gunter
When Nidia Roth first came to live in the United States last year she found difficulty getting over the language barrier, but after enrolling at Santa Paula Adult Education she’s become far more confident in her English language skills.
The 36-year-old Roth is originally from Mexico, but came to the states with her husband after getting married last year. Even before the move, Roth had already tried to learn English at the Universidad Cuauhtémoc Aguascalientes in central Mexico while studying to become a nutritionist, but found she wasn’t making as much progress there as she would have liked.
“At the time I was at the university to become a nutritionist, and to get your title at the end of the course you need to take an English course.” Roth remembers “I learned at the university, but the problem is we didn’t really practice enough.”
“It has been amazing, I have been meeting new people and I can see a future with my English now.”
Nidia Roth, ESL Student, Santa Paula Adult Education
Undeterred by previous difficulties, she began looking for options to improve her language when she came to the U.S. This led her to Santa Paula Adult Education and its ESL courses.
Santa Paula Adult School is a member of the Ventura County Adult Education Consortium, a group of schools and community organizations in Ventura County working together to provide cohesive pathways to education and career opportunities for adult learners.
“It has been amazing,” Roth says. “I have been meeting new people and I can see a future with my English now.”
For Roth, one of the biggest differences between the two experiences was how frequently she was able to work on her language skills. Whereas the course she took at the university in Mexico only met twice weekly, she attended class four days a week at Santa Paula Adult Education.
“I’m trying to be better with my English, that’s why I took this course,” Roth says. “If we practice all the time, I’m going to be better at it.”
While Roth says her English skills are still developing, she feels a lot more confident communicating now. She also says she’s gotten a new sense of independence from her language improvements.
“In the beginning I didn’t feel safe going to the market or doing everything by myself,” Roth says. “Now I can talk to everyone and can just go to the market.”
Though no longer pursuing a career as a nutritionist, Roth says that she believes going through the process of improving her English language skills has opened several doors for her if and when she decides to continue pursuing her career goals. For now, she highly recommends Santa Paula Adult Education’s ESL courses to anyone else looking to improve their English.
“If you want to live in a country that speaks English, you can’t give up,” Roth says. “It may be a little harder, but you can do it.”
For more information about ESL courses at Santa Paula Adult Education, visit adulteducation.santapaulausd.org/. For more information about the Ventura County Adult Education Consortium, visit vcaec.org/.
Written by Jacob Peterson
| Regions | Classes & Topics |
|---|---|
| South Coast California | English as a Second Language |
