Khaoula Assaouri, an immigrant from Algeria whose first language is Arabic, found her transition to a new culture a real challenge for her due to limited English language skills. And yet, in just 11 months, she gained strong language skills from her English as a Second Language (ESL) courses at Jefferson Adult School in Daly City. Her response was enthusiastic when she heard about Skyline College’s educational opportunities from the English Language Institute’s outreach presentations. With the goal to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education, she came to the ESL Registration Day last April and received a lot of support with all the enrollment steps for Skyline College.
This semester, Khaoula is a thriving student excelling in her ESOL classes and connecting her classmates to campus resources as an ESOL resource leader. As a volunteer student leader, she joined the ESL Registration Team on October 22 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. to support new ESL students in completing the SSSP (Student Success Support Program) process that included filling out applications, attending the orientation, taking the placement test, and scheduling an appointment with the ESOL counselor.
Similar to Khaoula, many of the ESL Registration Day students are immigrants seeking to develop their English skills and pursue their educational goals through Skyline College. Because of the positive team work of the Skyline College staff and Student Assistants, the new students were well served during the event! The English Language Institute looks forward seeing them succeed as they start in spring 2017!
In addition to Khaoula, the ELI wants to thank the following for making the event smooth and successful: Jairo Baretto for IT Support, Jacky Ip and Ursula Racca from Assessment, Minerva Velazquez from Admissions & Records, Kenny Gonzalez from the ESOL Counseling, Lesley Bode and Michael Mark from Financial Aid, Student Assistants – Selena He and Carlos Acuna, and ESOL Professor Leigh Anne Shaw and Stacy Nojima, ACCEL Transition Coordinator.
Article and Photo by Mylene Foo