KENT COUNTY, Mich. — The Literacy Center of West Michigan helps people learn English. Hope Network Industries has a lot of people with different backgrounds. Now, there is a class going on here right now teaching people English. One student explains she is learning that much faster because of these classes.
“I learned online before I started YouTube, and after that, I downloaded some up in my phone,” Elizabeth Nyiransaba said.
Nyiransaba spent an hour of her day inside a classroom with several others learning English. She adds this is helping her learn more quickly.
She moved here to the United States of America from Congo back in 2017 to pursue the American dream.
“When I come here, I was poor, and I don't have nobody. I don't have some food to feed myself and feed somebody. But when I come here, America changed my life,” Nyiransaba said. “My dream was wanting to be a lawyer, and I don't have a chance to go to school.”
She understood that learning English was her best shot at pursuing that dream.
“When you're here, you need to run English to get what do you need. Everything is English. I wanted my dream be true,” Nyiransaba added.
Hope Network Industries wants Nyiransaba and others to have their dreams come true too. That's why, for the first time, they've partnered with the Literacy Center of West Michigan to host these English classes.
“At any given time, we may have about 15 languages spoken here, and most of them cannot speak English,” Hope Network Social Determinants Vice President Jerry Downs said.
Downs is excited about the progress these students are making in this program.
“I’m just proud that they're able to step out of their comfort zone. I also feel proud for the company of Hope Network that we're able to provide these classes for them,” Downs said.
These students are learning the basics over 15 weeks.
“We try to get learners to about 40 hours of English, because we know that's the point at which they show really meaningful gains in learning literacy,” Literacy Center Of West Michigan Senior Director Of Development Elizabeth Lucas Dombrowski said.
Nyiransaba can't wait to be back in class again.
“I’m proud when I talk to people, and sometimes I help the people to transact because I know a different language,” Nyiransaba said.
Literacy Center Of West Michigan explains that people are always welcome to return if they want to keep pursuing English after this course.
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