Three Sacramento women found success through ESL programs
Helena Vyvoda, Edivane Vital Da Silva and Norma Ramirez may all be from different countries and different walks of life, but they all share one thing in common — they all say they wouldn’t have found success or be where they are today without the ESL Programs they attended at adult education centers in the Sacramento area.
“Without adult [education] I wouldn’t be where I am at today,” Vyvoda explains. “I’m just really happy I attended classes there because they gave me all the basic knowledge I needed for everyday survival.” When Vyvoda moved from Czechoslovakia to the U.S. with her husband in 1994, she did not speak any English. With encouragement from her husband, she decided to attend the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program at Winterstein Adult Center in Sacramento.
“All the people who come to this country need these opportunities to go to school [and] learn English so they can be successful, find a job and provide for their families.”
Helena Vyvoda
After a year in the ESL Program, Vyvoda graduated and moved on to graduate from American River College and then California State University Sacramento. She found success and a job at the San Juan Unified School District as a prevention assistant, working with students to stop bullying, tobacco and drug use.
Ramirez came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1993, not knowing any English. After spending a few years trying to learn English on her own, she found her way to the ESL Program at Elk Grove Adult and Community Education. After graduating, Ramirez went on to take classes to get her American citizenship and also took an exam to become a paraeducator. She found a position as a paraeducator for the Elk Grove Unified School District. “Now, I’m able to say that I’m a whole new person and successful, thanks to Elk Grove Adult and Community Education and all their help and support,” she adds.
Ramirez also says her experience learning English has helped her be a model to her son, as they would both do their homework together. “My son found if my mom is doing this, I need to do it, too,” she adds. And Vital Da Silva is now working on her own success story. She decided to take classes at the ESL Program at Folsom Cordova Adult School after moving to the U.S. from Brazil several years ago. Now close to graduation, Vital Da Silva says her ESL classes have allowed her to hold down a job and has given her more confidence when communicating with people around her. “I’m [now] able to do those things and I’m so happy right now,” she says. Vital Da Silva also says the ESL Program is making her dreams of attending college a reality. “I didn’t go to college in Brazil … and here I think I have the opportunity to learn more and I’m going for it,” she adds.
All three women believe adult education centers play an important role in the Sacramento community. “All the people who come to this country need these opportunities to go to school [and] learn English, so they can be successful, find a job and provide for their families,” Vyvoda says. “[Adult education centers] allow people to make changes in their lives.”
For more information, go to www.capitaladulted.org.
| Regions | Classes |
|---|---|
| Northern California | English as a Second Language |
