Meet Norma

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I am from a small but beautiful country, named Ecuador.  About six years ago I came to the United States with a dream to gain a degree in law. However, when I came, I barely spoke English; therefore I registered in IELI classes. I don't remember what my first level was, but it took me about 2 years to finish the courses.

My time at IELI was unforgettable! It was the first time in my life that I dealt with different cultures.  The fact that most of my classmates didn't speak Spanish (my native language) forced me to communicate with them in English. This really helped me to speak English outside the classrooms.  Another positive factor was the IELI faculty.  I was very lucky to have great teachers such as Michele Thomas, Shant Melkonian and Ernest Brawley. Although there have been almost five years since I graduated from the IELI, I still remember them with deeply gratitude and happiness. Thanks to their great energy and engaging classes, I started developing interest in this new language. Through them, I discovered the beauty of reading and richness of the English writing

When I finished the classes at IELI, I registered at Hunter as a full time student and took Political Science as my major. My first years at Hunter were difficult.  I spent long nights trying to decipher the textbooks with a dictionary or even two.  More than once I was close to quitting, but my love for law stopped me. I reinforced my English through reading various books and articles, such as the New York Times and the New Yorker. Now that I have graduated, I look back at that time and cherish my studies at Hunter. Even though I chose my major as a prior step for going to law school, through Political Science classes I realized what my real passion on life was. My next step will be to obtain my Master's at Brooklyn College and hopefully work for an organization in charge of human rights or foreign policy.

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