Community Member Highlight - Laura Cerezo Varga, Mother of the Junior Mayor of Gaithersburg

November 22, 2019

In September MCAEL attended the Gaithersburg Principals Appreciation Breakfast. While attending I was impressed with the principals, the Gaithersburg City staff and with Diego Flores-Cerezo, the Junior Mayor of Gaithersburg.

I had the pleasure of sitting at a table with his father who looked on in pride as his son delivered welcoming remarks. I wanted to learn more about Diego's family and they agreed to share some of their story in the context of ESOL with MCAEL. Here is Laura Cerezo Vargas, Diego's mom sharing her story with us:

"I am from Mexico from the state of Puebla. Since arriving in the United States, I have lived in Gaithersburg for more than 12 years. In my country I studied a little bit of English, but I never practiced it. When I arrived here, I found myself in need and understood that I had to learn to be able to communicate anywhere.

I have taken ESOL classes in different schools, Gaithersburg High School, Montgomery Village Middle School, Gaithersburg Middle School and lastly an adult ESOL course at Montgomery College. I took English classes to validate the studies that I have in my country. In Mexico I studied nursing. I then took English classes to be able to communicate and help my children with their education, and now I continue taking classes to improve my work. I work as a Teacher Assistant in a Private Preschool. I have two children, one of four and Diego, who is 10 years old next month. Diego has found it a bit difficult to learn Spanish and the little one is excited to learn Spanish. I feel proud of where I am from, one of the ways I keep my culture alive is by celebrating Mexican holidays, for example a traditional celebration for us is the Day of the Dead honoring the memory of our ancestors.

It has given us great pride and joy that our son has been serving as the Junior Mayor of the beautiful city of Gaithersburg. And it is a great experience as a family to share this with the Mayor and the members of the City Council of Gaithersburg. To other immigrant families I would say it’s important to talk about the experience we have had as parents, we are very supportive of our children. We believe that the fundamental thing is to keep the family together.

During the time that I have lived in this country I have learned that it is essential to learn English. As immigrants, we are afraid of talking fearing that people will laugh at the way we talk. However, we must be willing to practice and not give up on learning another language".

Interview by Monica Casañas.

In September MCAEL attended the Gaithersburg Principals Appreciation Breakfast. While attending I was impressed with the principals, the Gaithersburg City staff and with Diego Flores-Cerezo , the Junior Mayor of Gaithersburg. I had the pleasure of sitting at a table with his father who looked on in pride as his son delivered welcoming remarks. I wanted to learn more about Diego's family and they agreed to share some of their story in the context of ESOL with MCAEL. Here is Laura Cerezo Vargas, Diego's mom sharing her story with us:

I am from Mexico from the state of Puebla. Since arriving in the United States, I have lived in Gaithersburg for more than 12 years. In my country I studied a little bit of English, but I never practiced it. When I arrived here, I found myself in need and understood that I had to learn to be able to communicate anywhere.

I have taken ESOL classes in different schools, Gaithersburg High School, Montgomery Village Middle School, Gaithersburg Middle School and lastly an adult ESOL course at Montgomery College. I took English classes to validate the studies that I have in my country. In Mexico I studied nursing. I then took English classes to be able to communicate and help my children with their education, and now I continue taking classes to improve my work. I work as a Teacher Assistant in a Private Preschool. I have two children, one of four and Diego, who is 10 years old next month. Diego has found it a bit difficult to learn Spanish and the little one is excited to learn Spanish. I feel proud of where I am from, one of the ways I keep my culture alive is by celebrating Mexican holidays, for example a traditional celebration for us is the Day of the Dead honoring the memory of our ancestors.

It has given us great pride and joy that our son has been serving as the Junior Mayor of the beautiful city of Gaithersburg. And it is a great experience as a family to share this with the Mayor and the members of the City Council of Gaithersburg. To other immigrant families I would say it’s important to talk about the experience we have had as parents, we are very supportive of our children. We believe that the fundamental thing is to keep the family together.

During the time that I have lived in this country I have learned that it is essential to learn English. As immigrants, we are afraid of talking fearing that people will laugh at the way we talk. However, we must be willing to practice and not give up on learning another language.

Interview by Monica Casañas

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Picture of WUMCO Help's location in Poolseville, MD.

MCAEL Partner Spotlight: WUMCO Help, Inc

By Kayla Savoy • November 1, 2024

On Friday, October 25th, the MCAEL staff had the privilege of visiting WUMCO Help's facility in Poolesville, MD. What began as a quick journey to distribute our Adult English Language Program Directories turned into an insightful tour of WUMCO’s expansive ESOL classroom, designed for local residents, and their food pantry, where they provide shelf-stable goods and fresh produce to the community. Supported by a dedicated team of volunteers, community members, and local Boy Scout troops, WUMCO is committed to addressing food, language, health, and financial insecurities in Poolesville and the surrounding areas. We are proud to partner with WUMCO Help , which began with MCAEL as a Start-Up Grant recipient in 2023 and then grew to become an Access Small Grant recipient the following year. To learn more about WUMCO and the good work of all of our current Grant Partners, click here.

Leadership Change at MCAEL

By Kathy Stevens • August 29, 2024

Dear MCAEL Community: I am writing to share with you that I will be leaving MCAEL as of early October. I have accepted a position as President and CEO at the Healthcare Initiative Foundation. After 12 years of stewarding and growing the coalition, our team, and the organization’s role in the county, it is time for me to pass the torch to new leadership and pursue some new challenges of my own. MCAEL is a strong organization that has proven the value of having one entity coordinate the work of the coalition to build a diverse network of adult English language learning opportunities. With the partnership of Montgomery County government, dedicated coalition organizations, and incredible supporters and volunteers, MCAEL continues to provide much needed and much desired English classes. With an incredible staff, the organization is well positioned to continue to meet the needs of our community. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have served as MCAEL’s Executive Director. It has been rewarding to work alongside such a remarkably talented team, engaged Board members, dedicated program staff and instructors, and committed funders and supporters. While I'll miss MCAEL, the people I've worked with, and most especially the thousands of adult learners we have been able to support, I am excited to see MCAEL continue its growth and leadership in the county. The Board of Directors is meeting to identify the search process and timeline for a successor leader of MCAEL and that information will be shared as soon as practical. I will be working with the staff, board, and coalition to ensure a thoughtful and smooth transition. Thanks to you and the many other people who support MCAEL’s work, I am confident that the organization will continue to be strong and impactful. With gratitude, Kathy Stevens

Uber Impact

By Kathy Stevens • July 30, 2024

I’ve had to use Uber more in the last month than the entire last year while my car was out of commission. As you may know, the app offers you the option to indicate your comfort level with conversation. While I was trying to lean into just relaxing on the car rides and not talking much, I couldn’t help myself and quickly started conversations with my drivers. Many of my drivers were non-native English speakers, and they shared their experiences adjusting to a new country while not being comfortable with the language. Their stories echoed an all-too-common experience among immigrants in our community, who often work at jobs below their training levels. We discussed how to find English classes, should they be interested, and I was even able to connect one of my drivers to a workforce development opportunity. Sure, it would have been more convenient to have my car in working order so I could drive myself to work. But I never would have made these rewarding connections.