Jacqueline Terceros was born in the United States. However, at a young age, her parents decided to return to their home country, Bolivia. While growing up, she nurtured a profound dream of returning to the United States. “I always held onto the illusion of coming back, and while the process was arduous, it eventually became a reality”. In 2021, Jacqueline’s dream was fulfilled when she returned, and since then, she has overcome many challenges and achieved numerous goals.
Jacqueline is currently a cook at ISS Guckenheimer at Google. From her very first day on the job, she realized how essential English is for her work. “Everyone spoke English – the chef, my boss, my coworkers and of course, our customers – and I knew learning it was imperative.” Every new day at work presented a unique language hurdle for her. “I would resort to hand and face gestures, and although everyone was kind and tried to understand me, I recognized that mastering English was crucial to unlocking better job opportunities.” Determined to increase her proficiency, Jacqueline joined for the English at Work classes in 2023. This program marked the beginning of her learning journey, enabling her to steadily progress toward achieving her language goals.
Jacqueline learned about the program from her chef supervisor. She saw this as an important learning opportunity but was not sure she was ready to attend English classes. To Jacqueline’s surprise, she found herself already enrolled in the program. “He [her supervisor] came to me one day and told me that he had signed me up himself, and I am very thankful he did that.” She began her English classes with a mix of emotions – she feared she would be judged and doubted she would make it to the finish line.
When we spoke to Jacqueline, she expressed a deep gratitude for the support and encouragement she received from the program.
“The EAW team gave me the tools I needed to feel more confident and begin doing the opposite of what I wanted to. Without them I think I would have given up on learning English”.
The support Jacqueline received from both the program team, her employer, and co-workers played a pivotal role in motivating her to persevere with her English training. She is equally grateful to her family and her instructor. “At home, my family helped me by printing the names of objects in English and placing them around the kitchen so that I could keep practicing. In class, my instructor would use facial expressions and gestures to enhance my understanding of each module.” After only a few months, Jacqueline improved her language skills far from what she expected.
But her most cherished personal accomplishment was speaking at her graduation ceremony. “I was nervous but giving the closing remarks was a huge accomplishment for my family, instructor, friends, and the EAW staff.” Although her class ended, Jacqueline’s learning has not stopped. At home, she still practices on the English at Work platform and receives constant support and encouragement from her family. At work, she uses every opportunity to put her newly acquired skills into practice. Jacqueline is committed to continue her education. She recently enrolled in a pronunciation course at her local community college and is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to enroll in future EAW classes.
The National Immigration Forum would like to thank Camila Chicaiza, Business Engagement and Inclusion Programs intern, for highlighting this story.