When Marie left Haiti with her family, one of the many things she left behind was her catering business. She couldn’t just pick up where she left off, she had to start over. So, she concentrated on the critical first step, improving her English skills.
At The Immigrant Learning Center (The ILC), Marie improved her English and so much more.
Like many of our students, Marie found work as a home health aide, filling a critical role in our health care system, while continuing to work on her English at The ILC. She was thrilled to be supporting her family, but she longed for the satisfaction she felt as a chef.
Marie shared her passion for cooking with her education and career advisor at The Immigrant Learning Center. Her advisor found a free, culinary training program for her, and Marie jumped at the chance. She enrolled and started dreaming of having her own Haitian/American restaurant.
“It’s so, so important,” she says, “because it’s like if I dream to get my restaurant, I’m supposed to know the fields. I’m supposed to start working at a restaurant, get experience,” she said.
Here, there’s a lot of opportunities, but as an immigrant, you don’t know where to find them.”
-Marie
That’s where The Immigrant Learning Center makes all the difference.
The ILC bridges that gap with free English classes, education and career advising, and connections to life-changing opportunities. Marie completed the culinary program and plans to continue working as a home health aide as well as working in a restaurant to gain experience and save toward opening her dream business.