OUR LEARNER SPOTLIGHT: Hannah Bui, 44, ESL Learner
In January of 2003, Hannah Bui came to America with her daughter and niece, to join her husband in South Philadelphia. Growing up in the country region of Vietnam, Hannah was overwhelmed by the large city. More surprising to her, however, was the cold temperatures as she arrived in Philadelphia during a massive blizzard. Since then, Hannah has warmed up to Philadelphia, working in multiple beauty salons and obtaining her license for both hair and nails all while raising her two young daughters.
Recently, with her older daughter away at college in California, and with fewer work opportunities during the pandemic, she decided to use her extra time to sharpen her skills in English. She enrolled at Beyond Literacy where she began taking low intermediate level ESL classes virtually last year. “The online classes are convenient for me. I love taking classes because I want to learn more,” she said.
Hannah quickly moved up to the advanced classes where she continues to thrive as a student and classmate. “Hannah’s progression from Low Intermediate to Advanced seemed to happen very naturally as she developed more confidence,” says her teacher, Michael Antosch. “Hannah is still participating as actively as ever, and isn’t intimidated by the larger group or the more complex content.”
Hannah is determined to gain English proficiency through her BeLit classes so she can communicate with her customers better. “I live in America, and because I’m from a different country, it is very good for me to learn to read, learn grammar, and speak well.”