When Priscilla came to the United States in 2012, her name was Jie Kun. She arrived with her husband and two sons to join other family members already living in the United States. Not long after getting here, her father took ill and she dedicated the next few years to caring for him and her two sons.
Her father passed away in 2017, and Jie Kun turned her attention to her personal goals. First on the list was becoming a U.S. citizen, so she enrolled in The Immigrant Learning Center’s Citizenship Class. She described her motivation saying, “I like freedom here and democracy. I want to vote. Before November I need to register.”
Her goal was realized in February when she was sworn in as a U.S. citizen and claimed her new, American name: Priscilla. Her warm personality naturally leads her to helping others. She still comes to the Citizenship Class every week, but not as a student, as a volunteer.
Priscilla recently joined a small group of The ILC students who visited second grade classes at the Linden STEAM Academy in Malden. The Linden students asked questions about The ILC students’ native country, food and culture. It was a wonderful opportunity for ILC students to practice English before an audience and for the second graders to learn about other countries and cultures.
Thank you for your continued support that makes stories like Priscilla’s possible.
Diane Portnoy
Founder and CEO
The Immigrant Learning Center, Inc.
Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards!
The seventh annual ILC Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards were held on May 3, 2018.Click here to see photos and learn about this year’s winners.
About Us
The Immigrant Learning Center, Inc. (ILC) of Malden, MA, is a not-for-profit organization that gives immigrants a voice in three ways. The English Language Program provides free, year-round English classes to immigrant and refugee adults in Greater Boston to help them become successful workers, parents and community members. The Public Education Institute informs Americans about the economic and social contributions of immigrants in our society, and the Institute for Immigration Research, a joint venture with George Mason University, conducts research on the economic contributions of immigrants. For more information, visit the website at www.ilctr.org or Facebook page ImmigrantLearningCenter.