Student Success Stories
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Thuc, his wife and two daughters came from Vietnam 15 years ago without any English skills. He worked 7 days a week and took English lessons at LCBC three mornings at 7:30 a.m. His tutor has been Chuck for 13 years. Thuc is now 45. His lessons lasted four years, until he graduated. His English skills helped him to adapt to American life. He became a U.S. citizen and he has had jobs at Tyson and Daisy Air Rifle Factory. He also works weekends at an Asian restaurant. His oldest daughter will go to the University of Arkansas this fall. When Thuc graduated he said he owed everything to LCBC and his tutor. He said “I would never forget.” Every year Thuc visits his tutor for family updates and he brings Chuck a small gift like Vietnamese coffee. His wife has never learned English.
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Kam speaks Chinese and tested out of our program, but he wanted to stay as an intern to improve English. Now he teaches a new student, Jun Tao Luo, who speaks Chinese. Jun Tao now rides her bike to LCBC and is studying for her driver’s license. She plans to learn enough English to enroll in NWACC to become a nurse. This is an example of our students being generous with their English and helping others.
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Carolina shared that her friend told her about a place where they could learn more English. They came together. In one week, they met their tutor. They have worked on reading, writing and speaking English since November 2018. Carolina said that she is very shy about speaking in front of people. But she feels good at the Literacy Council. She is learning to feel more comfortable speaking English with other people.
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Mayra started at LCBC and said she was very poor, and she couldn’t read or write. She was afraid to ask questions because she couldn’t understand. She enjoyed every session with her tutor, Sharon. Sharon made learning fun. Myra moved to the intermediate level in six months. After one year she applied and got a job at Walmart as cashier and continued getting promotions. She attended a technical medical school and became a medical assistant. LCBC gave her the skills that she needed to be successful. Myra is so thankful this program is available to people.
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Ernest walked into LCBC in April 2015. He was 80 and could not read. He had worked with restoring old cars after leaving school in the second grade. Our tutor, Sandy, tested Ernest and found he had dyslexia. He was happy that there was a reason he couldn’t learn to read and that he wasn’t stupid. Sandy worked with him with flash cards and got him to 400 words. Once Ernest realized he could learn, everything changed. He was able to sound out all the states on the map. Another big thanks to our wonderful tutors.
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A student from Chile, with 2 children, came here with her husband because of his job. In our first class she broke down crying, telling us how frustrating it was for her to not speak the English language to her children’s teachers or to her neighbors. She was isolated and unhappy. She began working hard at LCBC for two years. She passed her exams and graduated from the program. She is now engaged into the community.
A student from Costa Rica could not speak any English but wanted to learn so that she could get a job. She had a great job in Costa Rica. She began with a tutor at LCBC learning grammar, practicing speaking and studying very hard. She got a job at the Walmart home office that required management skills. She is now a successful part of our community. |
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Loida, a 50-year-old native of Cuba, is driven to learn English! Talk about a lifelong learner, here is one! After Loida was referred to the Literacy Council of Benton County, she began working with her volunteer tutor, Leah, and set goals for her future. Loida started with little to no English, but is already able to have some English conversation, which has opened the door for a promotion at work, and a lease for her very own apartment. Loida has had a 25-year career as a licensed cosmetologist in her native country, but without the ability to read and speak English, Loida cannot pass the examination in the United States. Loida has set a goal to be fluent enough to pass the test by next April and return to her career in cosmetology. Loida is so thankful for the help she has received at the Literacy Council of Benton County, she also set a goal to become a tutor at the Literacy Council and at her local church. It is a celebration for us all to see this life-long learner not only working to improve herself, but ready to pay it forward when she reaches her goals!
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Julio – I came from a small central America country, El Salvador. Last year I moved to Rogers, AR. I was a lawyer in my home country. I have been looking for ways to improve my English since coming to the United States. In November 2018 I started classes with a tutor at the Literacy Council of Benton County. My tutor is Mikhail, a retired University professor from Russia. He spends hours with students like me, transmitting enthusiasm as we learn English. He helped, greatly, improve my English skills. My goal is to become a lawyer here and obtain a degree. The Literacy Council provides opportunities for the best development in our community and in society.
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Josy came from Mexico to the United States fifteen years ago when she was married to a U.S. citizen. She now has a twelve-year-old child. She started studying English at the Literacy Council in October 2018. She is studying for her citizenship test. She loves living in the United States. She works two jobs and one is 8 hours at night as a custodian. She gets very little sleep, but her efforts are intended to sponsor her parents to the U.S. Life is so much better here in the U.S. where I don’t have to fear the drug cartel or the government she says. My goal is to get an education after learning English, so I can get a good day job and have more opportunities for my family. Josy took her tutor, Sherry Johnson, out for lunch on Mother’s Day and gave her roses. Tutors at the Literacy Council are wonderful and help make a difference in our lives Josy shared.
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Kusum said that being able to speak and read English is very important to me. Coming to the Literacy Council of Benton County changed my life. Knowing only a few English words, I applied to be matched with my tutor, Jody Wilson, and I took the first steps toward independence and the ability to manage my life here in the United States.
My goal is to eventually choose a course of study which leads to a career, perhaps as a teacher. My husband and I have purchased a home in Bentonville and my ability to read allows me greater participation in the community. After reading an article in class about what makes strong neighborhoods and communities, I boldly reached out and invited some of my new neighbors to come for tea. I have also become a volunteer at Crystal Bridges and I love helping children enjoy creating art. Kusum stepped through the doors at LCBC hoping we could help her to speak and read English. The results of LCBC efforts is that now we have someone who is better able to manage life’s challenges, participate in opportunities, and she wants to use her talents and abilities to make a positive contribution to her community. |
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Karen is from Mexico. She came to Arkansas four years ago when her husband started working at Walmart. She has an eight-year-old daughter. She started studying English at the Literacy Council in 2017. Her tutor is Renita. She is currently learning to read and write correctly. She said she enjoys living in Bentonville, AR because it is a beautiful, wonderful, and peaceful place to live. Her goal is to get a job in a company in the human resources department. I am very grateful to my tutor for her patience and I really appreciate the support of the Literacy Council. Learning English will make a difference in my life and my family’s. It will help my family fitting into the community.
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Barb Tropansky (tutor), Que Do
On Friday, September 5, 2014, Que Do became a United States citizen. Que started in 2012 as a student with the Literacy Council knowing very little English. Her tutor, Barb, has worked diligently with Que for two years teaching her to read and write English. Today, Que works for a manicure salon after staying home until her two children started school. Que passed the Citizenship with flying colors! She is very proud and we are proud of her. Congratulations Que on earning your U.S. Citizenship! |
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Arley Bejeran
Arley came to LCBC with just a very few words of English. He was tutored by Kelly Abney at LCBC and he was then enrolled in NWACC, while still being tutored and working full time. He graduated from NWACC and went to University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. On April 17, 2015 he was sworn in as a U.S. Citizen. On May 2015 he graduated U of A with two degrees: a BS in Economics and a BS in Supply Chain Management. On May 18, 2015 he started a new job (promoted from a distribution center) as a Walmart Replenishment Management 1. Now he is at the Home Office. |
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Joe Arnold
"The other kids on the bus always made fun of me and called me retarded… but I always knew I wasn't. I just couldn't learn to read." — Joe Arnold Literacy Council of Benton County's student, Joe Arnold, is a great guy who had a unique start in life. When Joe was a baby, his father was outside holding him when lightning struck Joe's diaper pin, traveled through him, injured part of his brain and blinded him in his right eye. In his soft spoken manner, Joe talks about going to school. "The kids on the bus made fun of me. They called me 'retard' and 'stupid.' I wasn't stupid; it was the brain injury from the lightning that just made it hard for me to learn to read. But I understood things!" Joe stayed in public school until the fourth grade. He was then transferred to a school for developmentally delayed or disabled children. At that time there wasn't much known about teaching people with learning disabilities, and although that school was a great place for a child with Down syndrome or a very low I.Q., there wasn't much done there to help Joe. He left when he was 15. He still couldn't read. Joe had no problem getting his driver’s license or his HAZMAT certification, because those tests were read out loud to him. Fast forward to when Joe came to Literacy Council of Benton County with a goal of obtaining his GED so he could improve his employment. Always hardworking, he does physical labor now and is hoping to find something less strenuous as he gets older. There are better job options open to him, but he needed his GED. At LCBC he was matched with a great tutor who patiently worked with him, and he did progress, just not as quickly as he would have liked. His tutor asked if Joe had been tested to see if he had a learning disorder. LCBC's Literacy Coordinator arranged for Patti White (Disabilities Project Manager with Arkansas Adult Learning Resource Center) to evaluate Joe. Upon her recommendation, Joe was referred to a GED examiner and a psychologist. After their extensive examinations, Joe received approval for accommodations in his quest for his GED. Joe and his tutor got down to some seriously dedicated study sessions, with help from Northwest Technical Institute in Springdale, where Joe took his GED tests. Joe took the last of the three GED tests. Then he waited. About a month later, his mailbox held his long-sought GED certificate! He got to walk in a ceremony in Springdale. The kids on the bus were wrong. You go, Joe! |
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Frances Dillard
Frances no longer keeps her biggest secret…. For decades, seventy-three year old Frances Dillard went out of her way to make sure no one discovered her deepest, darkest secret. "I couldn't read," Dillard said, shaking her head slowly from side to side. "I went to school through the ninth grade back in Texas where I grew up but when I was tested at the Literacy Council, I was only at the fourth grade level. My wonderful tutor, Rhonda Davis, has been great to help me. I just have a few more weeks to practice for my GED test. I can't believe it." "A Bentonville High School counselor is the one that referred me to LCBC. I was visiting the counselor about my grandson. I guess I had always thought I was too old to learn to read but what I've found out is that nobody’ is too old. I am proud that I came here and so glad that I can read well. It really is a blessing for me." Dillard explained how she memorized a lot of words before taking her cosmetology licensing test years ago. She said she was always careful to limit what she talked about because she didn't want anyone to figure out her secret. "I was ashamed," Dillard admitted. "But I just didn't know I could do anything about reading until that counselor told me. I had to wait three months for a tutor. They really need more tutors here. Once I knew I could read, I felt so much better about myself and everything. It i’s like a light turned on. It has made such a big, big difference in my life. I'm proud now." Dillard has a message she wants to deliver to people who can't read. She wants them to know there's a place where they can learn. "I want people who can't read to realize that there is no reason to be afraid to go to the Literacy Council," Dillard said. "They won't feel embarrassed or intimidated or anything. The tutors and everyone at LCBC are here to help us. They're open and patient and I never felt anything but happy when I started with my tutor." "I suggested to my 80-year-old sister to go to the Literacy Council in her hometown. It is never too late. And the difference in how you feel and what you can do. Well, it's a blessing, it really is." Contributed by Tonya McKiever |
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