ESOL host showcase at Benton Center

On Wednesday, May 13, the English for Speakers of Other Languages program held a showcase at the Benton Center featuring speakers and participants from all over the world. The showcase gave students the chance to show off their countries while publicly practicing speaking English.

The showcase was held to help spread awareness of ESOL and the impact it has on the community and world. “Many students don’t realize what a large ESOL program we have, and that there’s so many students from other countries who study right here at the Benton Center and in Albany,” said Mary Browning a faculty member in the ESOL department.

William Vargas, a student from El’ Salvador explained to me how ESOL classes have helped him in understanding the English Language. Vargas plans on becoming a permanent citizen so to him proper knowledge of the English language is a must.

The ESOL hosts this event every spring to kind of wrap up bringing an end to the year, but the showcase can be expected to be seen for many years to come. When asked about budget cuts ESOL instructor Kristi McMorran replied, “we’re lucky that we get a lot of federal funding for our program so we’re not just tuition based, so I don’t expect that we will have budget cuts within our program that will effect the students.”

The ESOL department hosts both credited and non-credited classes at three different levels; beginning, intermediate, and advanced that are designed for foreign students to sharpen their skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The classes are offered both morning and evenings every term in both Albany and Corvallis.