An immigrant uses her language talents to help others achieve U.S. citizenship
Before she was an employee at Fontana Adult School (FAS), Shilpi Nandra was a student there. In fact, she enrolled in every program available.
“Yes, every program,” she says with a laugh.
“I was an immigrant—all the programs in the Fontana Adult School are free of cost, this is a very big factor for the immigrant,” she says.
As a student, Nandra followed the paraprofessional pathway. The certificate she earned allows her to work as an instructional or teacher’s aide and automatically qualified her to join the substitute pool in the district. Today, Nandra is a substitute teacher for Fontana Unified—the school district partnered with FAS—and she has helped students in many areas, including achieving United States citizenship.
“The students are so raw. They are coming in as immigrants and we are preparing them.”
Nandra Shilpi, Substitute Teacher, Fontana United School District
Nandra immigrated to America from India in 2018 with her husband and son, the latter of whom was born in the United States in 2004 and has U.S. citizenship. A resident of New Delhi, Nandra had earned a bachelor’s degree in computer business application in her home country. After arriving here, she realized she needed to update her education and training. The opportunity to do so came via a fateful encounter at a local Mexican grocery store.
“There was an Indian woman wearing an Indian sari and buying some fruit, and she came next to me and she said, ‘Hi, how are you? Which part of India are you from?’” Nandra says.
The woman told Nandra she was attending FAS and urged her do the same. The convenience factor convinced Nandra to follow up.
“I realized it was just across the street from my son’s school,” Nandra says. “After dropping my son at school the next day, I came to see the Fontana Adult School and it all started from there.”
Before she became a paraeducator , Nandra also worked as a tutor at the school. She speaks five different languages from her native India as well as Urdu, the primary language of Pakistan.
“I help them to pass the citizenship program, because I can easily translate things for them in their language,” says Nandra, who has a green card and is a permanent, legal U.S. resident. “There were a couple of students who, because of my assistance with them, they passed and got their citizenship after previously failing three times.”
The experience of helping so many newcomers learn the language and improve their situation in various ways has helped Nandra feel closer to the local community.
“It gives you a lot of satisfaction,” she says. “The students are so raw. They are coming in as immigrants. And we are preparing them. That’s what our school is doing. We are polishing and making them shine like a new penny.”
Nandra’s message to potential students is that FAS can change their lives like it changed hers.
“When I was in my country I was a housewife, I really depended on my husband for my finances,” she says. “Now I’m here as a substitute teacher. I have my own money.”
Better yet, she adds, she’s actively helping others.
“I am changing the lives of other people. This is a game-changer for me,” she says “People are seeing me as a role model. This is what Fontana Adult School gives to me.”
She also loves the community it builds.
“It’s a diverse place—so many people from different countries—and you find you are not alone,” Nandra says. There are so many people walking on this path. You are inspired by each other; you learn from each other.”
To learn more about the Fontana Adult School, visit: https://adultschool.fusd.net/
Written by Jason Cassidy
| Regions | Classes & Topics |
|---|---|
| Southern California | Careers in Education – English as a Second Language |
