International Day is a fun and festive tradition! On one of my first visits to The ILC in early 2000’s, Sandy Bornstein (second from right) introduced me to several students from Turkey.
Each day, our building comes alive with the smiles, laughter and stories of 400 immigrants. When they arrive, along with their notebooks and pencils, they bring their hopes and dreams. They wait months, sometimes years, to secure a seat in our program. They attend classes five days a week. They are determined to make a better life for themselves—to get a job, to be good parents and to be part of their new communities.
As I watch them arrive—from more than 50 countries, ranging in age from 18 to 89—I am reminded that we are not only teaching them English, we are giving them the tools they need to make their dreams a reality.
A lot has changed since I was first introduced to The Immigrant Learning Center in the late ‘90s. From my initial experience as a volunteer, to my time on the Board of Trustees, to now, I’ve watched the organization grow in size and ambition and the needs of our students change and become more complex.
Whether it’s incorporating digital literacy and other workforce-ready skills in our classes or educating Americans nation-wide about immigrants and immigration, we are rising to meet today’s challenge
As I begin my fifth year as executive director, I am more committed than ever to ensuring immigrants have the language and cultural skills needed to build their careers, support their families and engage meaningfully in our communities.
At our most recent International Day, I was able to welcome Malden Mayor Gary Christenson (right) and introduce him to several students.
In the coming year, we will begin our next strategic planning phase and will focus on helping immigrants meet the demands of current and future job markets by exploring: 1) opportunities to broaden our community engagement and 2) opportunities for workforce development partnerships. These initiatives will require creativity, connections and continued investment from our supporters. I look forward to sharing updates on our planning process with you in the coming months
Vince Rivers
Executive Director
This story appeared in the Fall 2025 edition of our Impact Update newsletter. Join our mailing list to get future Impact Updates delivered to your door.