ESOL students overcome language barriers to succeed
by Violeta Rocha
reporter

Learning the language of another country is difficult, but it is the only way most foreign students can succeed.

Mehdi Dashti, a NW Campus student from Persia, came to the United States two and a half years ago.

At that time, he did not speak English, but his persistence made him learn English as his fourth language.

“ If you learn a second language, you can learn many more because our brain is like a computer,” he said.

The first year Dashti came to the United States, he took ESOL classes on NE Campus. The following year, he was taking the TASP, now THEA , test to move into advanced courses.

“ I had an excellent teacher, but I learned most of my English from my wife who is American,” he said.

Dashti has been out of his country for 11 years, and he cannot go back because of political issues.

“ I miss home, but I know I can’t go back. Here there are not many people from my country, so I must speak English to communicate,” he said.

“ Sometimes it is hard to study in another language, but I tell myself I have no choice and I must do it. I never think that I can’t make it,” he said.

Dashti keeps learning every day, and he translates his thoughts from his first language, which sometimes causes him to get into trouble because translations do not have the same meaning.

“ Once I upset one of my teachers because he misunderstood me. Later I e-mailed him to apologize and explained everything,” he said.

Dashti has a full-time job, and this semester he is taking 17 hours. He wants to be a civil engineer.

“ I promise myself that I will never take this many hours again. My body and my mind are very tired. However, I am happy with the results. So far I have only A’s,” he said.

English as second language classes give students more opportunities to meet other people, Adriana Sanchez, a South Campus student, said.

A native of Mexico, Sanchez came to the United States in 1999 to meet her family.

Sanchez attended the Interna-tional New Comers Academe for one year.

When she finished, she could understand English, but she went further to learn English and graduated from Paschal High School in Fort Worth in 2003.

“ I like the school system here. I have learned quickly. In Mexico, I took three years of English, but when I came here, I realized that I wasn’t ready to make a conversation,” she said.

The first months in high school, Sanchez was sent to the language center or helped by a Spanish-speaking teacher.

After one year, I felt more confident and did well in my classes all by myself,” she said.

Sanchez did not use her free time just to study; she also was working in a grocery store. There she saw the importance of education in order to have a better job.

“ I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue my education, but I didn’t want to have the same job, so I came to TCC to get my associate’s,” she said. “This college offers me a good schedule that allows me to study and work.”

Sanchez is a full-time student and has a full-time job. She is a team leader in a fast-food restaurant.

“ I like my job. I can speak with customers and employees who speak only Spanish. When they need something, I translate for them,” she said.

Sanchez thinks being bilingual opens doors. She has been a volunteer at the Fort Worth Zoo during Halloween and gave candy to the children. She also has friends from other countries who want to learn Spanish.

“ I have fun helping other people. I know I can do the things that I like because I can speak English,” she said.

Other students had the opportunity to come to the United States and start school at an early age.

Betty Samkutty came here from India at the age of 11.

In her second semester on NE Campus, Samkutty is taking basic classes and would like to study radiology.

When Samkutty came here, she was put in a regular classroom since she learned English in her country.

“ I knew just the basics and had a huge accent; now it is different,” she said. “At the beginning, I could tell from others that I said something wrong, but I asked them to correct me, and I tried to get better.”

Samkutty said that speaking English at home helped her get used to the language quickly.

English is the third language for Samkutty; she speaks Malayalam, which is spoken in the south of India, and Hindi, spoken in the north.

Samkutty said being exposed to other languages has helped her learn English.

Samkutty said education here is much easier than in her country. Indian teachers are very strict.

“ There, we had to wear uniforms. We had no reviews. We had to read whole books, and also we had school Monday through Saturday,” she said.

“ Once I forgot my tie, and I had to stand in front of the whole assembly we had every morning before class to sing and pray,” she said.

Knowing English is important to Samkutty for her to keep doing her passion: singing.

She was in choir in middle school and high school. She won first place in the Dallas Talent Competition two different years.

“ When I was in middle school, all my teachers were surprised at my voice; they used to call me little body, big voice,” she said.

Last Updated: 4/21/2004
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