Through new program, Harvard students teach adults ESOL
Six Harvard College students taught English to new residents of Boston as part of the inaugural Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA) Adult English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program. The program was planned, created, and run by local college students, primarily those from Harvard College. Jesper Ke ’19, one of the teachers, said he was inspired to get involved by his parents’ story. “My parents immigrated to the U.S. nearly three decades ago from China and benefitted from free ESOL classes offered in the local community,” Ke said. “I’ve always seen my involvement in ESOL and naturalization-assistance courses as a way to pay it forward to other immigrants, especially those who don’t have as many resources to learn English.” Before last summer, Ke had volunteered through PBHA with Chinatown Citizenship, a program that offers free English and naturalization assistance courses to immigrants. It was through this that he discovered significant gaps in ESOL...