CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY, N.Y. — Genesis Morales, 21, is a nurse’s aide trainee at Chautauqua Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Dunkirk.
“I like to help people a lot. Having this opportunity for me is really good,” Morales said.
She came to the U.S. from Puerto Rico in 2017, not knowing much English.
“It was kind of hard for me in school, cause some people make fun of me in the way I speak my English,” she said.
What You Need To Know
- The English language can often be a barrier when it comes to career advancement
- Two groups have teamed up to give ESL speakers a voice toward a career in nursing
- There is a great need across the state for ESL services toward employment
After graduating high school, she contacted ESL Career Path Coordinator Sheyla Gonzalez Colon and is now studying to become a certified nursing assistant.
“And I’m really thankful with her, so she’s been helping me really good,” she said.
Colon came to the U.S. at the age of 12.
“I had no English, I knew nothing,” said Colon, who is now a bilingual ESL instructor who helps students speak, read and comprehend English, as well as find employment in health care and interact with the center’s Hispanic population.
“They see me as one of them. But not only that, I went through it. So I always give them encouraging words and I tell them, ‘it’s OK, it’s OK to struggle, it’s okay to cry.’ But, you’ll get where you need to go, and you’ll get better at it,” Colon said.
The center has teamed up with Erie 2 BOCES, a community-based organization blending its nursing and ESL programs with a partner employer to address and support an existing need.
“So, by working with folks where they’re at, helping them to grow within that educational path, we can help them move to the next stage of whatever career they want to move into,” said William Smock, director of adult education, Erie 2 BOCES.
BOCES has embedded an ESL teacher and classroom into the center.
“We’ve created a really inclusive environment where people are free to take some educational risks. Go somewhere that they’re going for work but also be educated in the same spot,” said Smock.
Like Morales, who hopes to one day be a traveling nurse, and encourage others not to give up.
“Don’t let people let you feel bad about yourself. Just keep going to whatever you’re trying to do,” Morales said.
Erie 2 BOCES has a number of classes in other areas, including Jamestown, Gowanda and Angola. There are also 37 BOCES in New York State, complete with a number of educational programs.