Student Spotlight - Maria Velazquez
Lea la historia de Maria Velazquez en español.
Maria Velazquez, an immigrant with a background in cosmetology, started taking English classes at Everett Community College's East County Campus so she could help her children with homework. Her instructor encouraged her to continue to Adult Basic Education classes, and although she was afraid at first of taking math and science classes entirely in English, Maria did it. Now, she's working her next goals: to earn her GED and then complete EvCC's cosmetology instructor program.
What motivated you to attend college?
One of the issues that motivated me is because of my kids - sometimes they asked me for help on their homework and I wasn’t able to help them because I didn’t know any English. Now I can help correct their writing or help them with math; I feel more empowered to help them with their schoolwork.
What are the benefits to attending EvCC?
One of the benefits of attending community college is that I’ve learned about many of their resources. As an immigrant, we have benefits of using Everett Community College resources like saving money on English and pre-college classes to get prepared for your next goal.
When do you graduate and what are your plans after graduating?
After I finish my Transitional Studies classes, I plan to move on to my next goal, which is to be a cosmetology instructor.
Why did you choose this career?
I have 10 years experience in cosmetology, and now I want to be an instructor to teach new students and share my knowledge.
Why did you choose to take classes at East County Campus?
East County Campus is close to my town and the evening classes fit in well with my life.
What advice do you have for new students at East County Campus? What about current students?
You can do it, just keep trying and don’t give up. The advice for current students is if you feel overwhelmed, ask for help from other students and use resources like tutoring.
Would you recommend East County Campus to new students? Why or why not?
Yes, I recommend East County Campus because there are teachers and advisors who can help you with your goals, you have the opportunity to make new friends and meet new people from different parts of the world. I’ve met students from all over the world, including from: Africa, South America, Russia, Ukraine, China, and more!
Also, East County Campus has a variety of class schedules that can fit in your life. There are a lot of careers to choose from and EvCC East County Campus can get you started. There are a lot of programs that don’t take a long time to complete. Some programs only take 3-9 months and then you can start to make money as soon as you finish.
What is your favorite East County memory?
I remember when my teacher from ELA level 3 encouraged me to take ABE classes (adult basic education is where you work 100% with English textbooks) and I felt afraid because there will only be English speakers in those classes and I was going to deal with full subjects like math, writing, social studies, and science. Once I started those classes, I realized there was nothing to be afraid of; I overcame my fears and finished the ABE program and now I am in the TS program.
How is East County Campus preparing you for the next step?
East County Campus is preparing me for my next goal with all the classes that I need to become a cosmetology instructor, like math literacy and writing classes. There is a lot of support at East County Campus from the teachers, classmates, and the tutoring center.