Crystal risked her life to get to the U.S., where she faced another barrier: She spoke no English
To say Crystal Bounxayavong Montero’s life has been hard is a pretty big understatement. She grew up in a small village in Laos, with a poor family, as a transgender child.
“My family was condemned by others,” she says. “I was physically, emotionally and sexually abused.” At 8, she found refuge in a Buddhist temple as a novice monk, but a year later, in 1976, Laos fell to the communists, and she risked her life crossing the Mekong River to Thailand before eventually immigrating to America.
“I came to the United States in 1981 in search of better opportunities, a better life and the freedom to live as a transgender person,” she says.
But the U.S. presented a new challenge: She was illiterate and spoke no English.
ESL classes at Berkeley Adult School eventually turned her life around.
I’d like to eventually serve as a voice to speak out against human rights abuses, especially against transgender people.
Crystal Montero
ESL student at Berkeley Adult School
“Crystal is such a good example of what is possible for a student at BAS,” says her teacher, Joyce Barison, an ESL Instructor and Coordinator. “She is a marvelous person who has blossomed [here].”
Montero started with ESL and business classes — specifically Business Administration and Job Preparation — to improve her computer skills while she mastered the English language. Next, she tackled more formal academic achievement, pursuing a high school diploma.
“I achieved a longstanding life goal of greatly improving my English speaking, reading and writing skills,” she says. “And I am graduating next week with straight As.”
Montero also was hired as a student worker at BAS and won Student of the Year through Outreach and Technical Assistance Network (OTAN). She was able to present herself as a transgender person when she received her award, an important step for Montero.
“Some people know I’m trans, and some people don’t,” Montero says. “This gave me the opportunity to be myself with no discrimination.”
In fact, Montero feels it’s important she gained the ability to tell her life story, which can help her LGBTQI community, but also her fellow immigrants.
“It’s one thing to learn English, but you also need to learn about the diversity you live with here in the Bay Area,” she says.
What’s next for Montero? She has accepted a job at BAS as a proctor in the computer lab, and plans to attend college. “I’d like to eventually serve as a voice to speak out against human rights abuses, especially against transgender people,” she says. “I appreciate BAS for … getting me a step closer to my lifelong dreams.”
Written by Thea Marie Rood
| Regions | Classes |
|---|---|
| Bay Area California | Careers in Business-Technology – English as a Second Language – High School |
