InTheir Own Words

Click to hear student experiences learning english right here at Los Angeles Mission College!

Iran	Cambodia
China	Mexico
Level 6 Speech	The Complete Recording (46 min)

Jan Mirkhani

I think LA Mission College is my second home. It’s a small college. People know who I am and I’m comfortable at LA Mission College. When people want to learn something, it’s good to be around people who are educated. They influence us when we learn. At LA Mission College, people have encouraged me to have educational goals. When I came to LA Mission College, I just wanted to learn English. Now, I know what I want to do. My goal is to be a respiratory therapist, and I am taking the first classes in respiratory therapy this year. I came to LA Mission College in 2001, the first year I was in the USA. After finishing ESL classes, I realized that respiratory therapy would be a good career. The most important thing for me is helping people with their medical needs. It will take me three years to get a license, but I know it will be worth it. Education always pays. I like to learn even though sometimes it’s hard to study and work and learn with native speakers of English.

LA Mission College is my second home. When I came, I just wanted to learn English. Now, I know what I want to do.

 

Maria Renteria

When I came to California, I was 18 and I thought that my years as a student were over. I had a newly started family and newly acquired responsibilities. As many immigrants, I came in search of a better life, but unprepared to compete with the thousands of people with similar dreams. I worked in a factory for about ten years and many times I thought that living in the US was pointless since my life was getting harder every day. I was about to give up when I decided to quit my job in the factory and go back to school. The EDD helped me with the tuition to attend LA Mission College, but I was supposed to take only some ESL classes and learn to operate computers so that I could get a better job. I was given two semesters to do that; if I were not able to go back to work by the middle of the second semester, they would not pay for my classes anymore. I talked to my ESL instructor Phoebe Rivera about my desire to stay in college a little longer and the predicament I had about getting a job. She listened to me and advised me to seek information about the EOPS and Federal financial aid programs that could help me complete my education. With the help of Ms. Rivera, Dr. Barbato, and other ESL instructors, I was able to access the resources available for students at LA Mission College; soon I found myself working for the Community College District and on my way to transfer to a four-year University to attain a California Teaching Credential. I am currently in my last year of the Teaching preparation program at CSUN and just completed my first semester of student teaching in San Fernando Elementary. My short-term goals are to get my BA and teaching credential at the end of the Spring 2005 semester and to start teaching full time. My long-term goals are to give back to my community and probably get a Masters Degree in Education.

 

Osanna Gulesserian

Someday I want to be a CEO of a company, so I’m studying business at LA Mission College. I came to LA Mission College because there was space for me in their ESL classes. I learned how to write, communicate with people and be a good student. Now, I am in English 101. I am competing with people born in the USA, and now I feel confident. The ESL teachers at LA Mission College motivated me to succeed, especially Dr. Louise Barbato, the ESL coordinator and LA Mission College. By getting an education, I want to be able to share my knowledge to others, like Dr. Barbato does. I am a single mother with 2 kids, aged 14 & 15. English is my fourth language.