4 0 T H E T U S C A R O R A R E V I E W 2 0 2 2 goal remains, others can shift over time. According to Michelle, “Living through the pandemic makes you think about what’s the most important in this moment. For the past year, student welfare has been really big and has been really important, because people are suffering in lots of ways. Education is important, but life comes first.” In a program that seeks to help students in so many facets of their lives, the benefits are vast. The number one benefit, through Michelle’s eyes, is the confidence that comes from being able to communicate. Along with that, “Students really appreciate that we are here for them, that we value their presence and contribution, and that we are looking to support and to foster that. We have some programs that are meant to be a bridge into a specific career, or into the training for a career. Students really appreciate that because they are ‘real world’– practical and effective. Students can learn vocabulary and soft skills, about industry or career fields, and ideally, move into that field.” As the intake specialist, Michelle focuses on bringing in new students to the program and helping them progress through it. She laughed when she told me the first thing her job involves: paperwork. “Today it’s electronic,” Michelle said, “a great improvement through the pandemic!” Her job entails placing students into the correct classes and assessing their progress. Ideally, this assessment happens at the end of each class period. From there, Michelle can make decisions and advise regarding the student’s future in the program, whether the student needs to move forward within basic ESOL, or if they are ready to move on from the program. Multiple people support all these processes, notably a transition specialist. While some ESOL students are focused on getting their GED, many of them move from ESOL to GED to college classes at FCC. A transition specialist is a vital support for these students. The needs of the students in the program are wide ranging and include economic needs, housing, medical care, mental health care needs, technology needs and others. As Michelle said, “It runs the gamut from A to Z.” Some students in the program have lived in the United States for a long time, while some have only been here a few months and are still trying to establish themselves. For example, the program will soon be accepting Afghan refugees that will be entering the local community. “There’s going to be a variety of levels among those students as far as their English level goes, but that reflects our whole program,” Michelle explains. “So, we have students who speak very little English in a literacy level, to students who are well educated and maybe even speak well in English but still, there’s more to learn.”
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