Man says Oxnard Adult School put him on the path to a career
When Jesus Lopez-Varela left his native Mexico City in 1987 to come to the United States, he had no job and almost no English language skills, he says.
But today, he is fluent in English and is a teacher at Oxnard Adult School in Oxnard, Calif., instructing Spanish-speaking students in Spanish so they can earn their high school equivalency certificate.
“Some of the students are fluent in English but feel they can do better and obtain their certificate in a shorter time if they work in their own language,” he says. “Many come from other countries where they’ve obtained higher levels of education. Some are even professionals in their countries like doctors and lawyers, but their English is limited.”
Lopez-Varela is familiar with the struggles that many of his students face every day, he says.
While studying at the University of Mexico to become a veterinarian, he dropped out due to a lack of funds, he says.
“I had to migrate. I had to come to the United States in search of better opportunities,” he says.
He eventually found help at Oxnard Adult School, an institution that is part of the Ventura County Adult Education Consortium. The school offers free and low-cost courses that enable adults to reach their educational and career goals.
“Students have to feel the joy of attending classes, not just because they have to…That’s what I liked a lot from my teachers.”
Jesus Lopez-Varela, previous student and current teacher at Oxnard Adult School
The offerings include basic education, high school equivalency certificate and high school diploma programs, English as a Second Language (ESL) and career-technical programs.
“I wanted better opportunities in life. I wanted a better life for my kids. I had two kids at the time, and I wanted everything to go smoothly for them. That’s why I came to Oxnard,” he says.
Lopez-Varela started ESL classes at Oxnard in 1988, studying four nights a week, Monday through Thursday, he says.
He remembers his ESL teachers as empathetic instructors who kept the classes lively through humor, he says.
“If you want to teach, you have to understand the adults you’re teaching. Adults aren’t children. So, you have to adapt your methods to adult students, especially when they’re attending night classes and come tired from work.
“So, a teacher must sometimes be a comedian,” he says. “Students have to feel the joy of attending classes, not just because they have to, but also because they wish to attend classes. That’s what I liked a lot from my teachers.”
He says he also enjoyed meeting and studying alongside other immigrant students like himself. Some students came from places like Vietnam, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, Italy. France and even Egypt, which he says proved to be an impactful learning experience.
“That helped a lot, because we learned to respect all the other cultures and viewpoints,” he says.
Lopez-Varela went on to complete his ESL coursework in 1989. Afterward, he enrolled in the Regional Occupational Program (ROP) in Ventura County to learn welding and print shop skills and earned his GED at Ventura Adult School, he says.
Over the next few years, he returned to Oxnard Adult School to study for his U.S. citizenship test. But he also enrolled in another ESL course.
“I felt I needed to become more fluent in my speech because I wanted to go to college and then to a university,” he says.
Later, Oxnard Adult School offered him a job as a paraeducator tutoringmigrant workers in math and later as a guidance technician.
Then, 2006, he enrolled at Cal State Channel Islands and earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and a minor in anthropology in 2010.
With a college degree in hand, Lopez-Varela says he applied for and landed a job as a teacher at Oxnard Adult School.
“They wanted me to create a high school equivalency program in Spanish, so I made it and started working here,” he says.
Looking back, Lopez-Varela says ESL classes at Oxnard Adult School helped him assimilate to American culture and society.
“It also opened the door to better opportunities for advancement, not only for me, but for my family, too” he says.
Lopez-Varela says that for anyone who wants to learn English but is hesitant to enroll in school, he would encourage them to consider Oxnard Adult School.
“Especially because it’s free. Anybody can attend as long as they’re adults. They should be afraid of not learning English,” he says.
“If they don’t learn English, the opportunities will become fewer and the work harder for less money.”
For more information, visit https://www.oxnardadulted.us/.
Written by Gail Allyn Short
| Regions | Classes |
|---|---|
| Southern California | Careers in Education – English as a Second Language – High School |
