English language classes give local business owner tools for success
Ramon Gutierrez didn’t want to go to school. The 48-year old father of three hadn’t been in school since age 12, while still living in Mexico, and the thought of taking classes seemed like a daunting, if not impossible, undertaking.
“All I knew all my life was work — hard work,” says Gutierrez, who’s worked as a plumber and has done construction for the better part of 25 years.
But he did it. With encouragement from his wife, Gutierrez enrolled at South Bay Adult School two years ago in order to help him get his contractor’s license in the state of California. And his hard work has paid off. Gutierrez now runs his own plumbing business, and is continuing his education at South Bay Adult School, which offers citizenship and English as a second language (ESL) classes, vocational courses and parent education.
“They treated me nice and gave me lots of support. They encouraged me to continue.”
Ramon Gutierrez, Student at South Bay Adult School
Gutierrez is quick to point out that his success wouldn’t be possible without the support and encouragement of his wife, who’s a social worker.
“She says, ‘Don’t be afraid — it’s never too late to learn.’ It’s been the best experience of my life,” Gutierrez says. Gutierrez moved to the U.S. from Mexico when he was 17.
He went from growing up on a small ranch outside of Guadalajara to doing construction projects on multi-million dollar homes in Beverly Hills. By his early 20s he began picking up small plumbing jobs, and within a few years was working on the lavish homes of celebrities like Brooke Shields and Tom Hanks. Gutierrez says he learned by watching others, and his skill set grew.
While he’s always been good with his hands, Gutierrez’s communication skills weren’t where he wanted them to be — or where they needed to be.
As a native Spanish speaker, he wanted to improve his English, especially with aspirations to start his own business. He failed the state exam on his first attempt at getting his contractor’s license. After some gentle coaxing from his family, Gutierrez signed up for ESL courses at South Bay Adult School and completed all of his English benchmarks. One of his instructors even dubbed him the “Goodwill Ambassador” for the positive attitude and humor he brought to the class. Gutierrez promptly retook the state exam and passed.
And he’s not finished. Since overcoming the fear of going back to school, Gutierrez now says he can’t get enough. He’s currently working on attaining his high school diploma and ultimately U.S. citizenship. In the process he’s also encouraged and inspired his own children to go to college (two are currently attending).
On the business side, Gutierrez has already seen the results of better communication with his new clients. He’s currently building his own plumbing business— slowly, Gutierrez says — as he works toward his goals at South Bay Adult School. The experience truly has changed his life.
“South Bay Adult School is wonderful. I recommend it to anyone,” he says emphatically. “I was scared to go to school. But they treated me nice and gave me lots of support. They encouraged me to continue.”
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Written by Mark Lore
| Regions | Classes |
|---|---|
| South Coast California | English as a Second Language – High School |
