Learning English unlocks life and learning opportunities for queer Columbian immigrant who experienced discrimination
Coming to a new country and learning a new language is never easy—especially after experiencing horrific hardship and discrimination. But with the help of the Hayward Adult School, students like Clara Barrios are taking the steps to make it through that journey.
Originally from Colombia, the 59-year-old Barrios worked a variety of jobs in her home country—as a clinical sophrologist; a farmer; and an owner of a radiology and tomography center. But Barrios was forced to leave her country of origin after experiencing severe discrimination. As a queer woman, she faced harassment, stalking and violence for her sexual orientation. She remembers regularly receiving threats of violence, which oftentimes forced her to relocate.
“I would receive many notes to scare me,” Barrios recalls. “‘Now we know you are a lesbian. Take care you, you can appear dead.’”
“The experience there was amazing. The teachers and everyone there are so friendly, they make it feel like home.”
Clara Barrios, Former Hayward Adult School student, now at Chabot College
Even after moving to a new city, the threats and harassment continued. She had a sibling who lived in the U.S., and came here seeking asylum.
A native Spanish speaker with some fluency in Portuguese, Barrios sought to improve her English to better acclimate to her new home. This eventually guided her to the Hayward Adult School’s ESL program.
“The experience there was amazing,” Barrios says. “The teachers and everyone there are so friendly, they make it feel like home.”
In addition to helping her improve her English, Barrios says the adult school experience helped her feel better about transitioning into life as an American. There were many students from different backgrounds, and she says the environment felt safe to her.
Having finished the program at Hayward Adult School in 2023, Barrios has moved on to continue her studies and further improve her English at Chabot College, where she started her first courses this summer. She credits her time at the adult school with the opportunity to continue her education at the college, saying adult school staff provided her with information about the college, helped guide her through the application process and even showed her around the campus.
“They opened up the door to come into Chabot,” Barrios says. “They show you the way.”
In spite of the hardships she’s faced, Barrios has worked hard to make a life for herself in her new home. She highly recommends anyone in a similar situation to hers to seek out English programs like those offered at the Hayward Adult School.
“If you don’t speak the language, if you don’t know the culture of the place you are in, you will never adapt to it,” Barrios said. “When you are going you don’t feel alone.”
The Hayward Adult School is part of the Mid-Alameda County Consortium (MACC), one of 71 consortia of adult education providers across the state. The MACC includes Chabot College, Las Positas College, Eden ROP, Tri Valley ROP, and the adult schools in Castro Valley, Dublin, Hayward, Livermore, New Haven, Pleasanton, San Leandro, and San Lorenzo. For more information about Hayward Adult School, go to has.husd.us. For more information about the MACC and its member schools, go to www.macc4ae.org.
Written by Jacob Peterson
| Regions | Classes |
|---|---|
| Bay Area California | English as a Second Language |
