“We are two of the students who take English classes at the English Learning Center. We both come from the former Soviet Union. Galina is from St. Petersburg, and I was born in Ukraine. We met each other and became friends in English classes. Although we have been in the United States for years and have become American citizens, we are always seeking to improve our English and our understanding of American culture.
In the fall of 2010, the school we used to walk to in downtown Minneapolis closed. We were fortunate to be able to continue our study of English in the new morning classes offered at the ELC. As we could no longer walk to a school close to us, we are very glad to take the free van to school and home again after lessons.
We live in high rise apartments in downtown Minneapolis with mostly other older Russian speakers. The ELC is a place where we can connect with others who are learning English. At school we meet other immigrants of all ages and backgrounds and find out many important things about their cultures and ways. We also learn the English we need to communicate with our grandchildren who speak very little Russian.
We wish we could show you our excellent volunteer teachers and the interesting and helpful lessons that they lead. We wish we could show you the many ways that the ELC has helped us in our lives and how grateful we are for the opportunity to come to school. Come by to visit and we can!”
-Asya Viner and Galina Kolton