T H E T U S C A R O R A R E V I E W 2 0 2 2 3 9 INTERVIEW WITH Michelle Wichman The Intake/Assessment Specialist for Basic ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) B Y K A T H E R I N E W E I N H O L D Those much wiser than me have said that stories are the lifeblood of humanity. They are how humans connect with one another, how we teach the next generation, and how we express emotions that could otherwise never be conveyed. The vocation of a storyteller is a time held honor, a vital cornerstone of humanity. However, what happens when stories are left out of a dominant narrative? When some experiences fall through the cracks, does the blood of the community run thin or does it stop flowing all together? In a publication designed to amplify the voices that do not always receive a platform, we wanted our interview to highlight a part of FCC we felt seemed invisible to most students. For this year’s interview, I had the honor of sitting down with Michelle Wichman to learn not only her story, but the stories of her students. Michelle Wichman is the Intake/Assessment Specialist for Basic ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). The program is intended for new residents to the community to help people learn to live and work in the United States through learning English, as well as skills related to U.S. culture, work, and life. The program also teaches lessons in civics to help people both live in the community and be good community members. The “standing goal” of the program, as Michelle called it, is to serve the community and its people: to understand who’s in the community, where they are, and how the program can best serve them. While this
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