Atlantic Cape Awards Certificates to Nine Students for Completing Academic English Language Program at Atlantic City Campus

ATLANTIC CITY — Nine Atlantic Cape Community College students, each from different countries from across the globe with diverse backgrounds, came together this Fall Semester to work towards the common goal of completing their final English as a Second Language (ESL) class while along the way also building camaraderie and close friendships.

Each of the students were required to pass seven classes - Intermediate ESL I & II, Advanced ESL I & II, Advanced Grammar, Strategies for the American Classroom and Advanced Reading/Writing - in order to receive their hard-earned Award of Completion certificate for passing the Academic English Language Program on Thursday, December 19 at the Charles D. Worthington Atlantic City campus.

Senior Vice President Academic Affairs Dr. Josette Katz, World Languages Department Area Coordinator & Professor Gwen McIntyre, and ESL Professor Betsy Heraux presented each of the students with their certificates of completion before a room filled with fellow students and guests, who also enjoyed a holiday gathering after the ceremony.

Professor Heraux was particularly impressed with how this group of students helped one another to achieve a common goal.

“This group has been one of my favorites. They came into this taking it very seriously. They knew what they had to do and what they had to accomplish before the end of this semester,” said Heraux, who spent 37 years teaching for Wildwood Public Schools before moving onto higher education at Atlantic Cape in 2022. “There was a lot of essay writing and that was a lot of work. But, they really worked with each other, helped each other and it was such a pleasure working with them this semester and I have high hopes for them.”

Learning the English language can be a daunting and lifelong task for many, but for students new to the country it can seem a laborious uphill climb. Atlantic Cape’s ESL Program slowly introduces the basics of the language from listening, speaking and reading to grammar and writing skills.

“There is a lot that they don’t know coming in and we try to get it all in. They had to read a novel, they had journal writing to do and grammar assignments. So, it’s a lot,” admitted Heraux. “They also had to write a rhetorical essay, a cause and effect essay, a summary and reaction essay, and their final one was an argumentative essay. It’s a lot of work.”

Numerous students reminisced about their respective positive experiences from their time in the program.

“For me, it’s easy to talk and communicate with others, but when it comes to writing, it’s definitely a challenge because of the different types of essays,” said Arbesa Maksuti, a native of Albania who has been in the United States for five years. “Back home in Albania we studied British English, and it has different punctuation and slightly different spelling as well. It was a challenge, but I learned a lot, such as how to write and how to organize myself. I really enjoyed my experience.”

“I believe that when you learn a language like English, which has its four pillars of reading, writing, speaking and listening, your skills have to be so strong and you have to keep working on them,” said Khushi Brahmbhatt, a native of India. “In this class they worked all along with me and they really stressed the writing. I think this has helped my writing skills for English.”

Joshua Mencia Moreno, a native of Honduras, admitted that he was sorely lacking writing skills when he arrived in the country two years ago, but he praised the support he has received from his Atlantic Cape professors.

“Once I got to Atlantic Cape and I took the first ESL course I noticed a big difference. The professors are always teaching you different skills and also motivating you. My professor was always helping us and making us feel relieved of the stress by always teaching us new things,” said Moreno. “I am really thankful for the content Atlantic Cape has provided us because I know I feel like I am more prepared.”

For Emir DeJesus, a native of Puerto Rico who has been in the United States for four years, creating a bond with his newly-found friends and classmates made his experience that much more special.

“My favorite part of this class has been my classmates. Just spending time with them, socializing and really getting to see different people from different countries because I have never seen those people in my life in person with their different accents,” admitted DeJesus.

Students who received their Academic English Language Program completion certificates included: Khushi Brahmbhatt, Katarina Bulic, Djenie Celestin, Emir DeJesus, Agustin Lynch Garcia, Khoa “Kevin” Lu, Arbesa Maksuti, Joshua Mencia Moreno and Jacqueline Rosen.

View a photo gallery of this event on Flickr here.

Visit atlanticcape.edu/esl for more information on Atlantic Cape’s English as a Second Language Program.

About Atlantic Cape Community College

Atlantic Cape Community College is a Middle States accredited, 2022 Achieving the Dream Leader College and Hispanic Serving Institution proudly serving the residents of Atlantic and Cape May counties. As a comprehensive, two-year community college, Atlantic Cape offers 47 undergraduate degree programs, and 33 certificate and professional series programs at its Mays Landing, Atlantic City and Cape May campuses. Atlantic Cape is home to the renowned Academy of Culinary Arts, rated the top culinary school in New Jersey, and for more than 50 years, our highly-acclaimed Nursing program. Atlantic Cape also partners with more than 30 colleges and four-year universities to offer students the opportunity to seamlessly earn a bachelor’s degree upon graduation.