In the early days of the pandemic, many people saw the shortage of high quality masks as a crisis. Rachel, a former The ILC student born in Tanzania, saw it as an opportunity to help others.

Rachel pivoted her new clothing business to making masks, sometimes working until 2:00 AM to meet the demand. “It was amazing. I was able to help people have those masks, especially before … everyone started to do the masks,” she says.

Rachel calls entrepreneurship “the true American dream of an immigrant.” She thanks The ILC for making that American dream possible. Her teachers, who were “so good,” taught her the English she needed to set up her business and obtain her citizenship. Now her shop sells gorgeous head wraps and masks in fabrics that are traditional to her Maasai tribe roots.

Rachel’s message for other immigrants with a dream is that “in United States, if you work hard and you have a goal, you can get there.” Thank you for helping make our students’ dreams possible.

Diane Portnoy
Founder and CEO
The Immigrant Learning Center, Inc.