Karma grew up on a farm in rural Tibet. Like many Tibetan refugees, one by one, her family escaped to India. Karma left in 2008, roughly 20 years after her husband. It was a struggle to keep the family together. They would go as long as two years without speaking. In 2011, Karma was reunited with her husband in the United States. Their two adult children are still in India.

Karma was very thankful to be in the United States, but it was not easy. She knew no English and had no formal education. Her first day of class at The Immigrant Learning Center in 2012 was the first time in her life she set foot in a classroom. The ILC’s Literacy Program was a perfect fit for her. She learned English at her own pace, and when she decided to become a U.S. citizen, the Citizenship Class for Literacy students helped her do it. In September 2018 she achieved two of her goals: she became a U.S. citizen and found a job working at Logan Airport.

Karma feels there is no way she can truly repay the gifts she’s received from The Immigrant Learning Center, but she is trying. She volunteers Monday mornings helping others like her study to become U.S. citizens.

Thank you for making stories like this possible through your continued support.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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.