安娜Illan-Vazquez

When I came here, I said, I will 成功. I don’t know how I will break the English language barrier, but I will."

Like many other people in TCC’s 高中21岁以上 程序, 安娜Illan-Vazquez came here intending to get her GED. 但 Adult Basic Education (ABE) Advisor Katie Heizenrader talked her into finishing her high school diploma instead. And she finished it in just two quarters.

“I worked really hard because I needed a lot of credits,” said Ana. “最后一个季度 I probably tried to do too much work, but with the help of my teachers 和 the 写作 & 辅导中心我能做到.”

Ana didn’t have the chance to finish high school in Mexico, her country of origin – a place, she says, where men have more educational opportunities than women. 但 she was determined to get an education, 和 as soon as her kids were in school, she started taking English classes.

“In our country, women just stay home” said Ana. “When I came here, I said, I will 成功. I don’t know how I will break the English language barrier, but I will.”

Ana didn’t know how she’d manage to continue her studies beyond high school, but when Katie asked her what her goal was, she told Katie she wanted to complete a four-year business degree 和 start her own import/export business.

“She said, don’t worry about it, if you want to continue, I’ll try to find a way for 你来做吧. She said, just trust in me! 所以我说，好吧!”

Katie helped Ana fill out the Washington Application for State 金融援助. Then the two discussed the difference between TCC’s Business Associate of Applied Science degree 和 Business 转移 degree. Ana chose business transfer, 和 ABE C是er Pathways Navigator Theresa Ramos helped her register for classes.

Ana has about a year 和 a half to go before she finishes TCC’s Business 转移 程序. After that, she plans to transfer to the University of Washington Tacoma, complete a Bachelor of 艺术 in Business, 和 launch her business.

At first, Ana says, she felt unsure of herself in the classroom. 英语是她的第二语言。 language, 和 she’d never used a computer before. 但 she visited the 写作 和 辅导中心 once a week or so to get help with her papers, 和 she asked instructor Gina Hatcher how to use the computer.

“She said, don’t worry, Ana, I am here to help you. Anything you need, just ask me. She spent extra time with me to teach me how to do my job on the computer.”

Ana knows that there 是 other English language learners out there who may be wondering if they can 成功 in college. She’d like to tell them that they can – but it’s important 寻求帮助. She points out that the teacher who helped her learn to use a computer 很高兴她问了.

“She said, there could be students who 是 struggling more than you, but they don’t ask, so I don’t know how to help them,” said Ana. “I would like to tell the people of my community 和 other students whose English is their second language that we 可以实现澳门威尼斯人在线赌场的目标. We don’t have to afraid to ask for any kind of help. 澳门威尼斯人在线赌场需要 to do everything we can to 成功 in this country or wherever we go. 澳门威尼斯人在线赌场可以做任何事 we want, but we need to find the right person to lead us to what we want to do.”

Now Ana is comfortable using computers, 和 she’s not afraid to tackle difficult classes.

“When I see that something is really, really difficult for me, I tell myself, it is difficult because I am learning something new,” said Ana. “The key to success is education. I would like to invite all immigrant students whose English is not their home language to continue with their education, it doesn’t matter where they come from or who they 是.”