TimesLeader.com

July 2
Freedom through literacy

By Christopher J. Hughes chughes@timesleader.com
Online Editor

SCRANTON – The move to a new country can often be a difficult one. A new language, new customs and different laws present challenges to those who wish to become American citizens away from their families and native homes.

Maria Vital, 28, of Scranton, became a volunteer with SCOLA Volunteers for Literacy following successful completion of the agency’s programs several years ago. Nearly 85 percent of the organization’s clients are English as a Second Language students.

Abington JOurnal photo / Christopher J. Hughes

Reynaldo Nunez, 44, of Moscow, works on a computer language program called The Rosetta Stone inside the SCOLA Volunteers for Literacy offices in Scranton.

Abington Journal photo / Christopher J. Hughes

Times Leader Photo Store

One Scranton agency, however, aims to make life in America a bit easier for those who may not speak the language.

SCOLA Volunteers for Literacy, located at 2013 Boulevard Ave., works with 500 students each year to promote literacy in Lackawanna County and the surrounding areas. More than 400 of those students, or 85 percent, according to Executive Director Diana Statsman, are English as a Second Language (ESL) students.

Among the many recent examples of students served is Scranton resident Maria Vital, 28. Vital first came to the states in 2002 as a student of Catholic University of Brazil. The university requires six months of English courses in the United States as part of its international relations program. “To have the degree, you have to speak three different languages,” she said, adding that she speaks Portuguese, Spanish, French and some Creole.

“To read and write English was OK, but understanding it was difficult,” Vital said. She said adjusting to life in Scranton has been easy and that she enjoys the area’s proximity to New York and Philadelphia.

As a student at Marywood University during her original stay, she began searching for ESL services in the area and began studying with SCOLA at its former location in the Abington Executive Park on the Morgan Highway in Clarks Summit. “That’s what I was looking for,” she said of the service. “They were so friendly, and they tried to help you with basically anything you could need.”

During her original trip, she also met her husband, Belmiro, who she will celebrate her fourth anniversary with in September. She has since become a volunteer with the SCOLA programs and works at the University of Scranton’s Lahey Clinic for the Uninsured, putting her international relations degree to use with people who require medical treatment but cannot speak English.

Through her work at SCOLA, she hopes to improve the quality of life of other immigrants. “I have students here who are lawyers and accountants in their own country. They work in factories here because they can’t use their degrees,” she said. “To have them using their talents would really help this country.”

Vital continues to learn, including new talents from her students. One woman has been helping Vital learn Italian during their time together at SCOLA. She works with additional students from Afghanistan and China, among other countries.

“All of these people make up America,” she said. “We have to remember that this country was founded by immigrants, and we are continuing that process. It’s special for me because I feel like a part of this nation. I’m one more person that is here to complement the society and benefit America.”

Vital is also studying for her United States citizenship test in December. Most of the questions concern facts about the country that she never thought about when first arriving, including the structure of Congress, for example.

Other students, like 44-year-old Reynaldo Nunez, of Moscow, have only been working with SCOLA for a short time. Three months into the program, Nunez said he enjoys working on computer language programs like Rosetta Stone to learn the language and eventually help find higher paying jobs in the community. He currently works at a gas station in Scranton.

Nunez said the most difficult part about moving to a new country is that one often arrives alone. The majority of his family still resides in his native Dominican Republic, and he has two children in the New Jersey area.

“In my country, there are no jobs,” he said. “Over here, you have to work and you have to find a job. I was coming here for something better.” Nunez first arrived in the United States in April 1979, and he returns home each December to visit family.

Statsman said that while Spanish- speaking students are likely among the largest group utilizing the program, more than 40 countries are represented by current students. “They come from everywhere. I think we have every country in Central America and most of South America represented.”

Students’ cultures are celebrated through classes and honored each April with an international potluck dinner. During the dinner, those who have earned their citizenship are recognized. SCOLA also offers conversation tutors and introduction to American culture with Thanksgiving dinners and similar fare. A complete American culture course is part of the agency’s future plans.

“It is such a wonderful way to introduce people to what it means to be an American because all of our teachers are volunteers,” she said. “These (ESL) students are working to make a change. They’re the kind of people you want to be a neighbor.”

Want to help?

SCOLA Volunteers for Literacy will offer tutor training at its office at 2013 Boulevard Ave., Suite One, Scranton, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, July 10 to 22, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Trainees must attend all five sessions.

For more information, call 346-6203, ext. 15.

“We have to remember that this country was founded by

immigrants, and we are continuing that process.”