Craig Matthews
Nine students from different countries came together at Atlantic Cape Community College's Atlantic City campus this fall to complete their requirements for English as a Second Language.
Along the way, the students built community and friendships.
Each student was required to pass seven classes, earning their Award of Completion certificate for passing the Academic English Language Program.
Senior Vice President Academic Affairs Dr. Josette Katz, World Languages Department Area Coordinator & Professor Gwen McIntyre, and ESL Professor Betsy Heraux presented each student with their certificate Thursday before a room filled with fellow students and guests.
Heraux was particularly impressed with how this group of students helped one another to achieve a common goal.
“This group has been one of my favorites. They came into this taking it very seriously. They knew what they had to do and what they had to accomplish before the end of this semester,” said Heraux, who spent 37 years teaching for Wildwood Public Schools before moving onto higher education at Atlantic Cape in 2022. “There was a lot of essay writing and that was a lot of work. But, they really worked with each other, helped each other and it was such a pleasure working with them this semester and I have high hopes for them.”
Learning the English language can be a daunting and lifelong task for many, but for students new to the country it can seem a laborious uphill climb. Atlantic Cape’s ESL Program slowly introduces the basics of the language from listening, speaking and reading to grammar and writing skills.
“There is a lot that they don’t know coming in and we try to get it all in. They had to read a novel, they had journal writing to do and grammar assignments. So, it’s a lot,” Heraux admitted. “They also had to write a rhetorical essay, a cause and effect essay, a summary and reaction essay, and their final one was an argumentative essay. It’s a lot of work.”
Numerous students reminisced about their respective positive experiences from their time in the program.
“For me, it’s easy to talk and communicate with others, but when it comes to writing, it’s definitely a challenge because of the different types of essays,” said Arbesa Maksuti, a native of Albania who has been in the United States for five years. “Back home in Albania, we studied British English, and it has different punctuation and slightly different spelling as well. It was a challenge, but I learned a lot, such as how to write and how to organize myself. I really enjoyed my experience.”
“I believe that when you learn a language like English, which has its four pillars of reading, writing, speaking and listening, your skills have to be so strong and you have to keep working on them,” said Khushi Brahmbhatt, a native of India. “In this class they worked all along with me and they really stressed the writing. I think this has helped my writing skills for English.”
Joshua Mencia Moreno, a native of Honduras, admitted that he was sorely lacking writing skills when he arrived in the country two years ago, but he praised the support he has received from his Atlantic Cape professors.
“Once I got to Atlantic Cape and I took the first ESL course, I noticed a big difference," he said. "The professors are always teaching you different skills and also motivating you. My professor was always helping us and making us feel relieved of the stress by always teaching us new things. I am really thankful for the content Atlantic Cape has provided us because I know I feel like I am more prepared.”
For Emir DeJesus, a native of Puerto Rico who has been in the United States for four years, creating a bond with his newly found friends and classmates made his experience that much more special.
“My favorite part of this class has been my classmates. Just spending time with them, socializing and really getting to see different people from different countries because I have never seen those people in my life in person with their different accents,” he said.
Students who received their Academic English Language Program completion certificates were Maksuti, Brahmbhatt, Moreno, DeJesus, Katarina Bulic, Djenie Celestin, Agustin Lynch Garcia, Khoa “Kevin” Lu and Jacqueline Rosen.
Visit atlanticcape.edu/esl for more information on Atlantic Cape’s English as a Second Language Program.
(Photo and copy provided by Atlantic Cape Community College)
