ESL class leads student to pursue dream job in nursing
After graduating in 2017, Elba Irene Blanco was just starting a career in international business. After studying in Mexico and Spain, she accepted a job offer in California, only to realize she wasn’t happy working at a desk with numbers all day.
Blanco’s now-husband suggested she look for something new at Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC), but she felt her lack of English would hold her back. She found their English as a second language (ESL) courses, offered through the college’s Adult Education program, to be exactly what she needed.
“If I wanted to have a good future, I needed the English skills,” Blanco says. “My goals were very basic, like being able to communicate with other people without having to use a translator. And little by little, those goals grew.”
“It’s better to leave the shame and excuses behind than to regret not having taken opportunities like this one.”
Elba Irene Blanco, ESL Graduate and MSJC nursing student
Blanco enrolled and passed through the program with flying colors in 2020. She was then able to move up to MSJC’s for-credit programs, from which she graduated with her associate degree—and a 4.0 GPA—in 2023. This fall, she’s slated to start MSJC’s nursing program.
“I didn’t study this in Mexico because it’s expensive,” she says of her healthcare career goals. “I started with the prerequisites and I applied for a job in a dialysis clinic. I fell in love with the patient care. I enjoy and I loved my job so much that I said, ‘Yeah, this is for me. I want to be a nurse.’”
To best serve the wide range of languages and abilities students like Blanco bring to the classroom, MSJC Adult Education offers six levels of ESL, from beginning to advanced.
“The hope is that we’re able to tailor the curriculum as best as possible,” says Dr. Cecilia Ornelas, ESL instructor at MSJC Adult Education. “The students themselves feel more comfortable and it makes it a little bit easier and more efficient for the students and the teachers.”
Dr. Ornelas notes that for some students, it can take a lot of courage and bravery just to set foot inside a classroom. Not everyone has support at home and most adult learners balance class with work and family. She says the program’s flexibility allows students to work at their own pace and assures they won’t be dropped from a class if they have time conflicts or don’t advance quickly. Ultimately, the program’s goal is to give students the tools to succeed so they can in turn contribute back to their communities.
“They’re able to be productive … they’re able to meet their financial goals and their professional goals,” says Dr. Ornelas. “It’s going to be a benefit for the community, for businesses, and for the citizens themselves.”
Blanco admits that it’s been a challenge managing school, work and family, but it’s something she would recommend others look into.
“It’s never too late to do what you really love in life,” she says. “It’s better to leave the shame and excuses behind than to regret not having taken opportunities like this one.”
For more information on what Mt. San Jacinto College Adult Education can do for you, visit www.msjc.edu/adulted or call 951-487-3707.
Written by Anne Stokes
| Regions | Classes & Topics |
|---|---|
| Southern California | Careers in Health Care – English as a Second Language |
