By ALAN HOSKINS
Thirteen students have completed the ESOL course work for the Spring Semester at Kansas City Kansas Community College.
An acronym for English for Speakers of Other Languages, the ESOL Department provides classes for students who have studied English but still don’t have sufficient academic skills in the areas of writing, public speaking or college level reading to be prepared for college work.
“Having limited English is a major barrier to success in this country for many people so it is our privilege to serve them and help them achieve their goals,” says ESOL Coordinator Liz Holloway. “Our classes help students ‘bridge the gap’ to academic English. They are placed into one of six levels – Beginning I or II, Intermediate I or II and Advanced I or II – and proceed through level Advanced II.”
Ceremonies were held May 11 to recognize this spring’s 13 graduates, all of whom successfully passed all of the levels and courses and are ready for academic classes.
The graduates are Koffi Agboe, Manuel Aguirre, Zinah Almukhtar, Anwar Alhanadah, Arezou Bayaniseysan, Damian A. Damian, Myo C. Oo, Maria Martinez, Sinh Nguyen, Mihir Patel, Marcia Rodas, Osamah Thabit and Mario Torres.
In addition, 15 other students were recognized for completing one or more of KCKCC’s Advanced ESOL classes. Approximately 65 students are active participants in the ESOL program with more than half enrolled in a full schedule of 12 hours of ESOL classes.
Facilities for ESOL students on campus include a language lab that is shared with foreign language students along with tutoring, counseling and advising, mentoring, financial aid and scholarships and child care.
ESOL students are also encouraged to participate in activities that integrate them into campus life including membership in the Student Organization of Latinos (SOL) and International Student Organization (ISO).
SOL helps students build leadership skills and interaction with other students, staff and faculty and its members educate other about Latino cultural trends and achievements while the ISO gives international students an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the American culture and people and promotes social interaction and participation through educational and cultural events both on and off campus.
Summer ESOL Pronunciation classes are enrolling now. They will begin Tuesday, June 5, and run through July 19, and are offered Mondays and Wednesdays from 9-11 a.m. and 6-8 p.m.
Early enrollment for Fall ESOL classes is also available now. Further information is available in the ESOL Office. By phone at 913-288-7625 or 913-288-7380 or by e-mail to eholloway@kckcc.edu..
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PHOTO: Four graduates of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) coursework proudly display the ESOL logo (from left), Koffi S. Agboe, Marcia Rodas, Maria Martinez and Damian A. Damian at recognition ceremonies celebrating their achievements. (KCKCC Photo by Alan Hoskins)
