Led by Professor of Spanish Dr. Mavel Velasco, students are teaching English as a Second Language and reading to local Hispanic children.
By Katie Morris '09
Virginia Wesleyan College is reaching out to the local Hispanic community this fall.
Under the leadership of Dr. Mavel Velasco, professor of Spanish, Virginia Wesleyan students are volunteering their time for a series of classes teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to Hispanic immigrants, and conducting Spanish Reading Time with Hispanic children at the Kirn Memorial Library in Norfolk, Va.
Heavily involved with the Hispanic community in the Hampton Roads area, Velasco is chairman of the Hispanic Leadership Forum that supports Hispanics/Latino groups and organizations by helping them to be more effective and by setting the structure for wider cooperation among community-based organizations. At Virginia Wesleyan, she teaches Spanish language courses and Latin American Music and Dance courses.
"I believe that my job doesn't end with the class room," said Velasco, adding, "I think we need to teach English to immigrants so they can be more productive and become part of the community."
Well known for her willingness to work with students outside the classroom, Velasco said that giving students opportunities to learn is very important to her.
"My main objective is always to give our students opportunities," she said. "It's great for them to learn about the Spanish culture."
Velasco and her students will offer eight weeks of ESL classes this fall beginning on Wednesday, Oct. 1. All classes will be held at 5 p.m. in Blocker Hall at Virginia Wesleyan College. Velasco hopes to expand the program to ten weeks of classes this spring.
"This is truly a community project and we're concentrating mainly on this because we would like the teaching of ESL to become bigger,"Velasco said. "There is a need to teach English to the Hispanic community."
Just minutes away from College, students are reading children's books in Spanish to Hispanic children every Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at the Kirn Memorial Library.
Vanessa Botsford '11, an international student from Buenos Aires, Argentina, is leading the Spanish Reading Time program. Botsford said the program is a way for Virginia Wesleyan students to give back to the local community.
"We're using our knowledge and skills to support the community," said Botsford. "In essence, we're using the College to give back to the community and we hope to expand the reading to other local libraries."
Both programs are still in need of volunteers for the fall semester. For more information about Spanish Reading Time or the ESL program, contact Dr. Mavel Velasco at mvelasco@vwc.edu, Vanessa Botsford at vmbotsford@vwc.edu, or Sarah Tytler at sltytler@vwc.edu.
10.02.08