Hala

Hala Mahmod is from Sudan, a country that is struggling with a civil war right now. She came to the United States five years ago because “the United States has a lot of opportunities and is better for my kids.” Her daughter who graduated from college in Sudan works as an interpreter in the United States now, and her two sons are graduating college and high school this year.

Hala started in the low intermediate class at Blue Hills and said “it helped me so much with my vocabulary. The Blue Hills program gave me so much confidence.” Hala used that confidence to take and pass her US Citizenship test this January! Now that she is a citizen, she wants to volunteer at Blue Hills helping emerging English speakers get enough English to start taking classes at Blue Hills.

David

David Kong is in his third year at Blue Hills Adult Education, and he has recently been hired as an ACLS Adult Education Student Ambassador!

“I am the ambassador for Blue Hills.  I like this new job because I can continue to learn English while I do my job.  I can share my experience in the US, and help other immigrants to learn English.  When I came here from China in 2021 it was a new country, a new language and new culture for me.  I wanted to learn the new language, try some new food, meet local people and immerse myself in the new culture.  I am embracing the evolution of the culture, food, language and environment;  I am enjoying this.”

David said he likes the Blue Hills program because everyone is equal and the staff are very nice.  He studied English when he was in China, but the focus was on grammar.  “When I came here I could not even make a doctor’s appointment myself.  The Blue Hills program has helped me with my listening and speaking.”

Joan

A great big congratulations to Joan Alvarez!! The smile on his face really tells so much about this incredible young man. He began classes in September, 2021 and by this past June, Joan was showing us his official high school equivalency diploma. This September, he visited our program to show us the certificate he just earned as a Medical Interpreter. We join his family and friends in being so proud of Joan!!

Missleia

“For me Blue Hills is a treasure and I want to share that treasure with everybody. I feel so happy to learn. Blue Hills has given me the confidence to speak with others and help the community. They have helped me to be employed, too.”

“Now I have a voice.”

-Missleia Soares

Missleia is from Brazil and has lived in the United States since 2003. As a wife, mother, student, and community advocate, her life is very busy.

MIssleia is a deeply committed person. She is committed to her family, her community, and to improving herself in the pursuit of helping others. Missleia knew that if she wanted to meet her commitments, she needed to learn English. When she learned about Blue Hills Adult Education from other Brazilians in her community, she enrolled as a student.

As she has worked toward improving her English at Blue Hills, Missleia has become very involved in her community. She has worked hard as a volunteer for Self Help, Inc. and for the town of Stoughton, and her efforts have not gone unnoticed. Self Help, Inc. recently selected her as their Stoughton representative, allowing her to her to explain to area families how Self Help programs work, and the town of Stoughton has hired her as a paid interpreter for the town. As a town interpreter, she works in the schools, the library, and at special town events, communicating information to Stoughton’s Brazilian population.

Missleia is an inspiration to all of us, and Blue Hills is proud to be a part of her continued success.

Bruna

I’ve been working as a sever at Fogo de Chao for 8 months, my job is greeting the guests, explaining how everything works at the restaurant, set up the tables to give them the best experience there, also take drinks and desert orders. Prepare coffees and coffee cocktails. It’s a great company with opportunities for growth. The restaurant has many locations across the United States, also Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Dubai. I’m really proud I got this job and that Blue Hills helped me build the confidence to achieve that. I remember when I did my test level and they put me at highest one I thought it was a mistake because I didn’t believe in myself but everyone at Blue Hills did. Now I’m fearless, even my Spanish is getting better and I never went to any classes.

“When you learn its ok to make mistakes, and say I don’t know with an open heart. You can do everything if you want to and that’s the most important lesson I learned Blue Hills, believe in myself!”