Three extraordinary women, one hospital and a worksite English language class. Buzzing with excitement, supervisors and coworkers at Sibley Memorial Hospital celebrated a new class of graduates. Joining the other graduates of the class, Ana, Marilis and Morena proudly accepted their certificates of completion. This moment was possible all thanks to a partnership between Sibley Memorial Hospital and New American Workforce, which offered a 12-week English class for employees at the worksite. Here is the impact it had on the lives of these three participants.
Ana left her home in El Salvador to pursue a better life in the United States and has worked at Sibley Memorial Hospital for the past 30 years cleaning patients’ rooms. She decided to attend the English course to not only improve herself, but to also better understand patients. She feels that the classes helped her gain confidence and have allowed her to better meet patients’ needs.
Marilis also works in housekeeping at Sibley Memorial Hospital. She was motivated to improve her English because she had an especially hard time grasping verbs and tenses when speaking English. She is now more confident in her English and feels more comfortable talking to coworkers, patients and visitors. She hopes more classes will be offered in the future so that she can continue her progress.
Morena prides herself in her role in the Sterile Processing Department at Sibley Memorial Hospital. For the past 12 years, she has been committed to making sure all medical equipment is properly decontaminated, assembled and stored. She voiced how grateful she is to have had the opportunity to improve her English with a flexible schedule facilitated by her employer. She exclaimed:
“English is not easy to learn, but even a little [practice] every time is helpful, and important!”
Thanks to the class, new opportunities are now available to these amazing women. With the support of employers like Sibley Memorial Hospital, employees are able to gain the skills needed to thrive and contribute in all aspects of American life.