2021 - Juan Chavez: My story is proof that ECC is a place where people can come and fight for th

In January of 2013, I made one of the hardest decisions of my life. Just like any other immigrant, I was planning on leaving my friends, my family, and my country. One evening, I had a conversation with my father and I told him all about it. I remember him asking me the reasons that I had. I told him that there were things that I wanted to achieve. I also told him about all those dreams that I wanted to pursue, and he told me that to achieve anything in this life, I would have to sacrifice some things, and I foolishly said, “I know, Dad.” He then told me that he supported my decision with only one condition. He asked me to take advantage of every opportunity I had and always do my best in whatever I do. To this day, I keep his advice in mind.

I moved to the United States in March of 2013 when I was 19. I came here because I had this dream of one day becoming someone important to society. I did not know what I wanted to be, but what I knew was that I wanted to have the opportunity to go to college and get a degree. My first goal was to learn the language to attend any other class. Learning English was something that I had been trying to achieve since I was in elementary school, and that desire got stronger when I moved to the United States. I knew a few words, but I could not understand almost anything. Sometimes I would just say yes without knowing what was being asked or said. The frustration of not being able to say what I wanted gave me the strength and motivation to sign up for ESL classes at ECC. I started in level 1, and I still remember my first day of class. I was so excited because I was sharing and learning with people from different cultures and countries. Some of us could not even understand each other, but we had something great in common. We wanted to be part of this society and can communicate with each other. Time passed, and almost three years later I was already in level 8, it had been a long journey, but my English was improving class after class. I started gaining confidence in myself. I started talking to people who I did not know and actually understood what they were saying. At this level, I learned how to write academic essays, which was challenging given that I had not written anything like that before. Now, instead of just learning new words, I had to actually learn how to organize my ideas, and follow certain rules in order to write a good paper. It was challenging, but in the end, it helped me a lot in so many ways.

At the end of my level 8 class, I found myself in a dilemma. I had to decide whether it was the end of my ESL classes or the beginning of a new chapter. My instructor recommended I take ESL level 10 and English 101 in their learning community program. My first thought was that I was not ready. I did not believe I had the skills to be in a college-level class. I was so afraid to fail, to embarrass myself in front of others, that I did not realize that my English was not so bad. After analyzing all the outcomes, I concluded I had nothing to lose. I had come this far, and even if things did not go well, I would know I had given it my best. A few weeks later, I was surprised it was not as difficult as I thought. The way the learning community program was designed was so great and helpful. Writing a journal every week and getting feedback before and after every essay I wrote helped me improve my writing and speaking. At the end of this class, I was thankful to have taken the challenge because I learned many things. I also gained a lot of confidence in myself, and I felt that I was ready to take the next step.

In the summer of 2017, I decided it was time to get my GED. Since I felt so confident, I challenged myself to take these classes in English. I knew that it would be hard at first because, for the first time, I would not be considered an ESL student. I made this decision to improve my English and show myself that I had the skills to be in a totally different environment. During these GED classes, I focused on improving my speaking skills. I did not intend to be the best or get the highest grades. I was just there giving it the best I could. After two semesters, I took all the required tests, and all I was hoping for was to pass, and I did. A few weeks later, one of my instructors told me that I had won one of the 3 scholarship awards that ECC gives students who get the highest scores. I was so surprised because all I was hoping for was not to fail the tests. Getting this scholarship motivated me to keep working hard.

It has been 7 years since I first came to ECC. Looking back, I can see how much my life has changed. I can say that learning English has been one of the best decisions of my life. In the summer of 2019, I got my Computer Numerical Control machine operator certificate, and I can proudly say that I did a lot better than I expected, so I did not want to stop there. I kept taking more classes, and finally this summer I am graduating with an associate of applied science in computer integrated manufacturing. I also would like to say that now I have a better job with better benefits and pay, and this could not have been possible if I had not learned English and had not taken GED classes. I want to say thank you to Elgin Community College for allowing me to improve my life and achieve my goals. My story proves that ECC is a place where people can come and fight for their dreams.

Finally, I would like to encourage you to keep working hard today. I cannot imagine all the sacrifices you have to make to come to class and learn a new language. It is not easy, but it is worth all the sacrifices. I want to highlight that we should always take advantage of all our opportunities. We should keep working hard and never give up on our dreams. We all have different reasons for learning English and getting our GED diplomas, but we have something great in common: our desire to change our lives and the lives of those around us. I hope my story inspires and motivates you to keep moving forward and fighting for your goals and dreams. May God bless all of you.

Juan Chavez, HSE '18