Ronald came to the United States with his three children ages seven through nine in 2015. He started studying at The ILC a few months later. Although he had studied some English in Haiti, pronunciation was very difficult, and he was motivated to improve his English.
He explained, “When you come here, you don’t speak English, you get in a lot of trouble. Even if you get a job where you don’t have to speak English, but your life is not only your job. You have to speak to other persons, you have your children to take care. If you don’t speak English I think you lose a lot of stuff. The first goal of a newcomer should be English, even the basic level.”
Ronald went past the basics and learned enough English to write and perform an original play in The ILC Theater Class last December.
The ILC education and career adviser helped him apply for a building maintenance training program as his next step. Ronald was a civil engineer in Haiti and has been working as a machinist in the U.S. He sees this training class as a first step toward a career more in line with his skills and experience.
Thank you for your ongoing support that makes stories like Ronald’s possible.
Diane Portnoy
Founder and CEO
The Immigrant Learning Center, Inc.
Thank You!
Countless supporters help The ILC give immigrants a voice. Here is a heartfelt thank you for some recent acts of kindness:
Thank you to the presenters of our most recent webinar “Taking Back the Narrative” who shared their expertise for free.
Julie Fisher-Rowe, The Opportunity Agenda
Marisa Gerstein Pineau, PhD, FrameWorks Institute
Hannah Carswell, Welcoming America
Lynn Tramonte, America’s Voice
Thank you to Robin Dion from the Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Consortium for sharing career information with our students.
Thank you to Lori Segall from the Career Source for helping our students write resumes.
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.