Students master English to break economic barriers ---

Hispanic-American families that speak only Spanish have an average annual income of $18,000; those who speak only English have an average income of $32,000. However, bilingual families have an average income of $50,000 according to a study by the University of California, Los Angeles. The majority

of bilingual families in the Bay Area are immigrant families, which see their lives transformed when they gain proper English skills that enable them to earn greater incomes.

For more than thirty years The English Center in Oakland has provided English and career training to U.S. citizens and immigrants with the ultimate goal of securing better employment. The non-profit group maintains a placement rate of their graduates at 80% or above, in careers and in higher education.

Baudelia Chavez was trained to be a social worker in Guadalajara, Mexico, but when she arrived in the U.S. in 1991 she was unable to work because she lacked both the language skills and the work documents.  When she obtained her immigration documents in 2001, she enrolled at the English Center where she studied language, computer and career readiness. Today, Baudelia, now a U.S. citizen, manages the social service department at De Colores Head Start in the Fruitvale.  She works with hundreds of families and supervises the team of family advocates at De Colores.  When asked about the value of her experience at the English Center, Baudelia says that it was “priceless.”  She believes that the Center truly changed her life.

Baudelia is just one of thousands of English Center graduates who have succeeded regardless of their work or educational background. “We’ve seen so many people who were in janitorial who are now advancing in careers,” says Marcy Jackson, Executive Director of The English Center. Regardless of a student’s current situation, the center’s goal for them is to master the language, technology and American work culture to enter high education or start a career.

“The method we use is nationally recognized and it’s especially effective for the new immigrant,” adds Marcy.  Students are in class with an instructor for at least 22 hrs per week and they’re expected to do several hours of homework each night.

Silvia Sofía San Miguel, who is a past graduate of the center and today works in the Office of the City Administrator, City of Oakland said “before the center I was a little afraid of using my English. The teachers were great – they were strict but they would also inspire you.” She says that losing the fear of trying to speak English was easier because the students were from many countries and were trying to communicate with different accents. “We tried really hard to understand each other and learn about each other,” she adds. Silvia says that learning English at the center opened a lot of doors for her. “The center is very close to my heart and I’d do anything for them.”

“That’s the bargain that we strike with our students,” says Marcy. “They will make this a priority for 32 weeks, and if they can give us that – plus the belief that they can succeed – we can change the path of their future and their opportunities. We expect you to give everything you’ve got for eight months,” says Marcy. She says that having students fully commit for eight months is far more effective than spending several years trying to learn English.

Cesar Meza-Esveille, from Chile, was working as a bathtub refinisher when he decided to enroll at the English Center.  From January to December, he worked all day and studied every night, Monday – Friday for 4 hours each night.  When Cesar was in advanced level classes, he began to work with the career counselor at the English Center.  With his improved skills, he was a good match for a job at the Multicultural Institute where he is now working as a program director.

The center’s focus on a student’s commitment and belief in their success is central to the training. “It’s a leap of faith that a student makes to really commit to this and believe it,” says Marcy. It’s very profound when you see someone realize that they can succeed. We see a physical change - they suddenly became very self confident. If the whole education system could instill this confidence, we’d be in a much better place than we are,” she adds. Many of the center’s students graduated from high schools here in the Bay Area but did not have good English written skills. “We are filling in what’s missing,” says Marcy.

Marcy and the center’s instructors speak about the achievement that results in giving everything you have, in being fully committed. They challenge students to show how much they can do and how much they can achieve. “They really want to succeed – and we work to enable that.”
For more information, call (510)836-6700 or visit www.englishcenter.edu.