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Jazmine Galvan

English 101

Professor Batty

27 March 2019

English is my Second Language; Education is my First

I can recall a time when I saw my grandparents who are ESL learners acquiring their

citizenship it was because of a college counselor who reached out to my aunt at the time and had

suggested my grandparents gain their citizenship through a particular program. They took that

resource and used it in a way that benefited them for years to come. Till this day I always used it

that example has motivation because if they did it so can anyone else in the same predicament. I

understood their struggle has a child because I will go to the classes with them or they needed to

learn English. I saw how hard they worked and how happy they were once their goals were

accomplished .I wish I could think that college counselor that told him about the opportunity

because those are the type of counselors that are making a difference .

Attending community college is a big step in pursuing long term educational goals. For

some students its easier to get started in the process and every student deserves an equal

opportunity especially when it comes to obtaining an education. So finding help isn't always easy

for these Esl students who want to achieve and be successful in school. To help these students find

their way they can attend a certain amount of helpful workshops, meet requirements from an
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educational contract, and attend mandatory counseling. A simple solution to a common problem

that many students come across that could be easily managed if more counselors came together

for these students.

For students that use English as a second language many opportunities don't come as easy to

them as they do to others. They work a lot harder because having a language barrier can be a

struggle. People feel broken down if they dont have the right type of support during this

educational stride resulting in many esl students just giving up entirely. Bilingual Workshops are

extremely helpful in a way because they bring you to an environment with other like students in

the same situation. According to the community college consortium for immigrant education

“Community colleges enroll almost half of all U.S. undergraduates, or 6.5 million students, and

one-quarter (24%) of these students come from an immigrant background.” which tells us that

there are definitely students who are esl and want to be given the same opportunities as other

students when it comes to being educated.

To help esl students stay on task as well as feeling accepted an educational contract

can be made with intent that its followed. These students can be paired up with counselors who

are bilingual because it establishes a certain level of trust and connection when going through

with a higher education. Feeling accepted during the process is important for a students self esteem

and well being. There's always going to be more important things that money can't buy an

education is one of them, I believe it's important for educational counselors to be on the student

side. English as a second language students would it have any excuse to not see a counselor because

someone who is bilingual will be available to them and it could be a feeling of acceptance as well
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as establishing a good connection with someone who's going to help them through their community

college experience to come. According to Community College Review “Even if English is your

second language, community colleges provide excellent programs that can help any student gain

fluency in the language, helping you obtain both academic degrees and professional

opportunities.” Community College is here to to make you feel welcomed regardless of your

background or language barrier that you're facing.

The most important thing while being an esl student is having counselors that can help

you and really make a difference in your life regardless of what language you speak. This really

needs to be incorporated into schools because its important to have multilingual counseling on

demand. Making the right move has a counselor is important and crucial because you're dealing

with someone's self-esteem so learning to pick them up when they need help is a vital process

especially for students who are learning English as a second language.

In conclusion I believe many students deserve the same opportunities because it's bad

enough they feel like scared misfits because of there language barriers. Acceptance and belonging

is all that they want so they can thrive and be resilient. Having Workshops at reach, and education

contracts are important, but not as much as having a counselor who has your back through it all

which really makes that much of a difference. Community College is a great place for ESL students

to begin their educational Journey. If helped and approached correctly these students can gain a

level of confidence that they have never encountered before . Everyone feels good about it at the

end knowing they did their part to help a student who needed that extra Push and guidance.
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Works Cited

● https://www.cccie.org/resources/fast-facts/

● https://www.communitycollegereview.com/blog/support-for-esl-students-in-community-

college