March 5, 2012

Dear Plaza Comunitaria Educativa,

Our story is very similar to that of millions of immigrants that come to the United States looking for good professional opportunities. Education is the key to open the doors to success, and Plaza Comunitaria has provided positive impact and support to our community with the adult programs such as Ready2work, English class and others.   It has been very helpful to my wife and me to enroll in English classes to further develop our language skills, how to do a correctly and update résumé, accurate jobs search and to get ready for new opportunities.

As professionals with previous experience in pharmaceutical and commercial business, it is of the utmost importance to further and improve our education in those specialized areas. New skills are always welcome and will open doors to find a better position and wages.

We have a beautiful family and are proud of their accomplishments. We want to be an example to the community that we proudly belong to and help other people to obtain their goals and dreams.

We want to say thank you so much, to the Plaza Comunitaria family, whom do great, strong, and beautiful work every day, to training competitive workers and the best persons.

Sincerely,

Jaime Zamora Ramírez             Claudia S. Salas-Sánchez

Hildamary Hernandez:

My name is Hildamary Hernandez and I have been living in Lancaster, PA for 1 year. Since my native language is Spanish, I seriously believe in studying English as a Second Language. I started taking English classes in March 2011.

At this moment, I feel more confident when I have to speak the language in my daily life. I feel secure when I need to call the bank to do different transactions, and when I have to make phone calls to utility companies. I also feel more confident at the doctor’s office, and when I apply for jobs.

I would like to share an anecdote. One day I was in the store, and a young lady came to me to ask me something in English, and I automatically answered her question. I can’t describe the feeling that I had. I was so happy that I didn’t have to think about the response, it just came out. I couldn’t wait to share this experience with my teacher and classmates.

Now my goal is to continue to improve my English, so I can communicate fluently and find the job that I desire. I am very thankful that people like me can have this blessing, privilege, and opportunity.

Sincerely,

Hildamary Hernandez

Janet Robayo

Janet is from Colombia.  She entered the program in December of 2010. At that time, Janet had a strong desire to increase her speaking and listening skills so that she could attend various employment trainings and interview for jobs. Janet worked hard to practice these skills in class. 
Janet attended ServSafe training so that she could learn about the food industry.  She also wanted to increase her work skills, and she successfully obtained a Ready2Work certificate during her time in the program.  She has also passed 2 sections of the GED test and is currently studying to pass the remainder of the GED.
As time progressed, Janet started to gain an interest in the healthcare field. She is currently volunteering at Lancaster Regional Hospital in order to find out more about what it means to be a professional in the healthcare industry.  Janet is currently working part time at the LCCTC and taking English classes at night.
Since she began the program, Janet has made some significant personal achievements. She has opened a checking account. She bought a new car so that she would have reliable transportation to get around town. Due to her new job, she is receiving an income that has allowed her to take several vacations to New York, Boston, and Delaware.

Ramon Veloz

Ramon is from the Dominican Republic. He started attending English classes in July of 2010.Ramon wanted to increase his English skills so that he could successfully transition and complete a computer training course. Ramon stayed in the program for 10 weeks before moving on to the next step to pursue a certificate in Computer Systems Administration at the New Horizons computer learning center.

Ramon is almost finished with his last course before he earns his certificate. He is currently working part time at the Manheim Auto Auction. He has opened a checking account and is currently saving money to buy a car. He will soon be applying at local companies for jobs in the computer industry.

Irma Gramajo

            Irma is from Argentina.  She started studying with the program in the fall of 2010. Irma attended intermediate English classes for two months.  During that time, she made significant improvements in her language skills and was able to transition to the advanced English course. Irma excelled in this challenging environment and continued to improve her language skills.

During class, Irma learned valuable information about how to interview for jobs in the U.S., and this knowledge helped her to earn a full time position at the Lancaster Host hotel as a food server. She also obtained another full time job at Lancaster General Hospital in the housekeeping department. She is currently working very hard at two full time jobs. Irma expressed a desire to start making a dent in some of the debt that she owed. She is happy to report that she’s now making more money and is steadily paying down her debt. Recently, she accomplished another one of her goals; she saved enough money to buy a car.

Arnaldo Mendoza Lopez, Sept. 27, 2010

My name is Arnaldo Mendoza and I'm of Cuban nationality. I came to this country on November 20, 2006. Like any foreigner who comes to a new country, it becomes difficult to achieve goals which were already hard to accomplish in my native country. Without measuring adversities, I created plans and goals to achieve. Although I knew these would be difficult to accomplish, I knew I'd have to put all of my effort and tenacity in doing so.

On May 30, 2007, I began working in the Manheim Auto Auction. After two years and three months of working at this company, I lost my job. The company gave me laid off. Since the moment I lost my job, I dedicated myself to finding a job, but have been unsuccessful. I see that I could not find a job. I become dedicated to improve myself. Without rest I began studying at SACA (Spanish American Civic Association). At that time I understood that this was the right opportunity to go forth with the plans I made when I first came to this country.

I give thanks for the comprehension, cooperation and kindness the faculty and staff have shown with tenacity, to everybody who goes there to overcome and succeed. At the moment I studying English, Computer class and enrolled in Pre-C N A class. Soon I will begin a Customer Service Training. After these classes I have advanced enough in which I am communicative in English and use Medical Terminology for the Certificate Nursing Assistant Course.

With the help of the people I mentioned earlier, I will be able to execute what I planned. In a not distant future I will see the fruits of my labor.

Sincerely,

Arnaldo Mendoza Lopez

Mi nombre es Nancy I. Millán.  Yo soy participante de los servicios de Plaza Comunitaria. Definitivamente esta experiencia cambio mi vida muy positivamente.  Gracias al apoyo de la Sra. Marlyn Barbosa y del salón recurso de computadoras pude completar el programa “Ready to Work” de “Careerlink” en mi idioma con todos los videos y orientaciones que comprende el programa ya que gracias a ellos puedo regresar a la universidad y terminar los créditos que me faltan, para poder seguir superándome en este viaje sin final que se llama vida.

Por otra parte la Sra. Marisol Sánchez ha sido un gran recurso para mí, ya que gracias a ella y a su servicio de empleos pude llenar varias solicitudes de empleo por computadora y Gracias a Dios recibí una oferta de trabajo temporero que luego se convirtió en permanente.

Definitivamente esta es una oficina que es indispensable para las personas que realmente quieren poner de su parte y hacer un cambio positivo en sus vidas.  Estoy sumamente contenta y satisfecha con sus servicios.