With guidance, a Spanish speaker charts new opportunities in the U.S.
In 2019, Maria Escobedo and her two children finally reunited with her husband and their father, a U.S. citizen. But the move from Zacatecas, Mexico to Fontana was challenging, mostly because Escobedo spoke no English.
The couple’s children enrolled in school and assimilated easily; Escobedo’s path proved more difficult. But thanks to the encouraging and empathetic staff at Fontana Adult School (FAS), she cleared the biggest hurdles to a smooth transition for life in the United States.
Escobedo first enrolled in English as a second language classes at Eric Birch High School in Fontana, and later at FAS.
Without a driver’s license or a car, however, Escobedo relied on her husband, a computer technician, for the 20-minute rides to and from her classes. She completed one semester of ESL studies, but the learning process stalled when the pandemic hit in 2020.
“The school, my teachers and the administrators have changed my life.”
Maria Escobedo, ESL Student, Fontana Adult School
She re-registered for an ESL in 2022. This time, however, while her husband could take her to class, she needed another driver or paid ride back home. The arrangement was unsustainable.
“I told my teacher, Miss Lisa Pinell-Hernandez, that I would not be able to come to class anymore,” Escobedo says.
Pinell-Hernandez insisted she stay.
“Don’t quit. It’s very important for you to learn English,” she told Escobedo.
The teacher then sent her to see Dominick Quinteros Mata, a front office receptionist who gave her bus tickets and a map. The trip to school, he told her, would require two buses.
“I said, I have never been on a bus in the United States,” Escobedo says. “I am very afraid. But Dominick said, ‘It’s very easy.’”
To help, Mata marked up a map for Escobedo, using different colored markers to indicate the first and second stops.
“He showed me how to pay the driver, hit the red button when the stop was coming up and what to do when I got off the bus. I was full of nerves.” Escobedo says.
Still, the support paid off. Escobedo continued taking the bus to school for the next several months. In class, she created a “visualization map” with photos depicting each of her goals: a driver’s license, a car and a job, each of which she had to describe out loud in English.
She summoned her teacher’s mantra to work toward her goals: “The impossible only costs a little more effort; we have to put in more to reach our dreams.”
As her English skills improved, Escobedo achieved her goals one by one. With some resume help from Pinell-Hernandez, she found a full-time job working with inventory and as a cashier at a department store where she hopes to become a supervisor someday.
“When I arrived here, it was a very difficult life,” she says. “The school, my teachers and the administrators have changed my life. English is still difficult, but I have improved a lot.”
Escobedo offers advice for others in her position.
“Sitting around at home without learning is no good. Sign up for the classes,” she says. “You will always find something for yourself.”
For more information on Fontana Adult School visit www.fusd.net/adultschool
Written by Dorsey Griffith
| Regions | Classes & Topics |
|---|---|
| Southern California | English as a Second Language |
