Hello, my name is Alejandra and I am 38 years old, I am from Mexico city. I have been in the U.S. for almost 16 years. I’m a mom of three girls, my husband and I work full time to afford everything for our family. I’ve worked at McDonald's for 15 years. I'm a crew trainer and it started getting hard to do my job better because my English was not very good.

I have tried to take classes in other places, I even took some in my daughter's school but they were too easy. Then I tried many other places as well but in many they said I didn’t have the requirements needed to take the classes.

I took the basic classes for a long time until one day I was in the main library and I asked if they offered some English classes. With one simple question, they gave me a paper with information. I was looking for a tutor because I thought I did not have the skill needed for the advanced classes.

I took the required tests and my score let me start in the advanced classes. I have taken classes at the Literacy center for three quarters. During those three quarters, we learned about medical health, we learned how government works, the difference among everyone’s cultures and my own. I also learned new vocabulary that helped me be more confident in the way I express myself in my job.

Now I am able to train new employees and be more helpful to my managers, I can work at any area of my job and translate for customers that don’t speak English. Since I started the classes my feedback on my evaluations have gotten better; and my employer always leaves positive comments on my evaluations.

With all that I have learned I have been able to improve in my job which helped me earn a raise in my salary.

With everything I have learned I am now able to have better conversations with my daughters and be helpful with projects for school and with their homework.

I like the classes there because every quarter we learn something different. I feel very comfortable in class, the teacher is very encouraging and helpful.

Class is always very interesting. I have the chance to share cultural experiences with people of other Countries who are also looking to improve their English. The class is also very interactive, we are also in contact with the teacher and our classmates at all times. We always learn something from other traditions or something about their culture and education.

The classes are not always easy because my family, my house, my church and everything else keeps me busy; but I like the way they challenge me with all the different types of assignments and topics.

The classes work very good with my lifestyle because I can do my homework at any time according with all my responsibilities.

I felt welcomed since the first day when they told me “if you want to learn you are at the right place” and the director of this program gave me a big hug.

One of my goals is to one day be able to be a translator for others because I know how it feels to be in that position where you don’t understand anything, I thank the Literacy Center because I know they can help me reach my goal.