Yanelis Lopez was first introduced to Unity 4 Orphans when her aunt, who knew she wanted to study English, heard about Unity 4 Orphans’ ESL program. She excelled in her studies and following graduation, has become our first teaching intern. It’s a privilege to watch her grow and we’re so thankful she’s using her skills to help other students learn the language as well!
Beginning the Journey to Becoming Bilingual
Yanelis Lopez is fifteen years old and in the 10th grade in the rural community of Miramar, Nicaragua. Her journey to becoming bilingual began when she was ten years old and a friend’s older sister–who was studying English–offered to teach Yanelis. She had heard the girls practicing, and noticed that Yanelis had a good accent. This opened up an opportunity for Yanelis, as well as gave her a new perspective that she, too, could become bilingual.
A few years later, though she had made some progress in her English language practice, she heard about U4O’s ESL program in Miramar from her aunt. Excited to begin studying formally, she began classes and was pleasantly surprised by how helpful and friendly her teacher and classmates were.
In the beginning, she had trouble speaking with confidence, which was frustrating because she knew that she had learned the vocabulary. But with patience and practice, she excelled in class, made new friends, and began to assist other students.
“My classmates and I were very united; we were like family and we helped each other.”
– Yanelis Lopez
Unity 4 Orphans’ ESL Program Provides Fluency and Confidence
Yanelis graduated from our English as a Second Language program in December 2021, and her mastery is impressive. She has achieved much in the short time since she became a student of our ESL program. We’re excited to welcome her to our team in Nicaragua as a teacher-in-training!
Yanelis has met people who have great job opportunities because they’re bilingual, and she loves studying languages. Her future aspirations are to continue assisting other students in their ESL studies, attend university, and become an English teacher one day.
“In the future, I foresee having more opportunities and using English to communicate with people from different parts of the world.”
– Yanelis Lopez
Outside of her studies, Yanelis loves to spend time with her family and friends. She is a very positive person, respectful and kind to everyone around her. If she wants to achieve a goal, she is persistent and works hard to achieve it. She describes herself as an autodidact, saying that she loves to learn new things and searches for information to have a clearer understanding of topics that interest her.
She credits her teacher Aida in particular, as well as her parents for her success. We’re so thankful to have Yanelis on board to help other students in Nicaragua achieve success in their ESL studies, and look forward to watching her continued growth and seeing her apply her inspiring attitude towards her future!
