Stories

Featured Story

You Must Have Hope and Keep Going

I never got to go to school before. Right when I started going to my first school, the civil war started in Somalia. It was a terrible, dark time. Everyone was running for their life. I was very young then. We left Somalia and went to Kenya. Life in a refugee camp is...

Forging New Paths as the ELC Goes the Distance

When COVID-19 Hit On the afternoon of Friday, March 13th, I [Jenne, ELC Program Co-director] was taking a walk with my dog while on a conference call with Jennifer, ELC Program Co-director, and David, OSCS Interim Executive Director. We had just decided to close the...

Herve’s Never Going Back

A Year Without a Home Herve will always remember the 2016 Minnesota Twins season—not because of the team’s losing record that year but because the end of this season marked the beginning of his homelessness. Herve had been employed with seasonal work at Target Field,...

Kamar Feels Free at Last

Kamar Returns to School Kamar is no stranger to the ELC. She first came to study English in 2011, shortly after arriving in Minnesota with refugee status from Somalia. Then, many years later, Kamar returned to school because she had a new goal—to become a United...

15 Tips for Building Stronger Cross-cultural Relationships

Do you have a genuine interest in other cultures? Ever want to build a relationship with someone from another culture but not know where to start? With students representing more than 40 different countries, it’s a skill we practice daily here at the ELC! So after...

Small Steps Become Big Strides

Addiction Grabs Hold at an Early Age Lisa* was nine-years-old the first time she tasted a sip of beer. “I have been an alcoholic, I would say, since that first drink. I shared a beer with my sister and one of our friends. I immediately wanted a second beer. I remember...

Ferhan Is Redefining Limits

As a child growing up in Somalia, Ferhan says he was “an ordinary kid,” going to school and doing “regular things.” Then, when he was just 15 years old, his life changed forever. “My school was attacked [during the war]. I was injured. This changed my perspective on...