ESOL bridges cultures

There is help for any North Lake student who lacks proficiency in English.

The English for Speakers of Other Languages program, commonly known as ESOL, has been helping North Lake students from around the world for more than 20 years.

“The ESOL program is a bridge between cultures and languages,” said Keith Landry, advisor in the ESOL/International services department.  “It is also a great stepping stone for these students.”

Second-year North Lake student Paola Enriquez enrolled in similar middle and high school programs after she arrived in Irving in 1996.

“The ESOL program helped me to establish a solid foundation for my education and it has helped me over the last few years,” she said.

Coming to America is a tough challenge for many foreign students.

“I am grateful that the ESOL program is available in many schools, colleges and universities,” Enriquez added.

North Lake offers credit and non-credit courses for students whose primary language is other than English.

The credit curriculum is designed to develop pre-academic language proficiency in the areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing.

It consists of sixteen courses divided into four proficiency levels, four skill areas and special topics courses.

The process for enrolling in ESOL courses is different from the core curriculum or other programs.

First, a student must apply for admission.  Next is a placement test.  Depending on the test score, the student will be placed at the appropriate level.

After being placed at their appropriate levels, students will have many ESOL resources available to them throughout their careers at North Lake.

One of the most popular resources is the ESOL lab, located in room K-310.

“We have a friendly and warm environment here in the lab,” said Betty Verma, assistant coordinator for the program’s instructional learning lab.

The lab offers programs that will help students improve their use of English in a wide variety of situations, including job applications.

“It is a great opportunity that will help students to improve their communication skills,” said Verma.

“Many North Lake students are unaware of what the ESOL program is all about,” added Landry.  “Many people don’t even know we are here.”

He said International students should consider North Lake’s program as a ladder to opportunities in this country.