Finding Her Voice: Beatriz Chavez
When Beatriz Chavez came to Literacy Action’s Conway Office in January 2017, she already had a strong foundation of English. But, that hasn’t stopped her from wanting to learn more, practice her speaking skills, and dream big about where her life is headed!
Chavez is from San Louis Potosi, Mexico, a large city in the Colonial Highlands. She and her tutor, Flora Salyers, meet at the Faulkner County Library to practice her English language skills. In just one year, Beatriz has logged nearly 50 hours of tutoring and reached two major goals!
“Beatriz Chavez is a dream student,” said Flora Salyers who has been tutoring Chavez through the Literacy Action Program for several months. “Beatriz is enthusiastic about learning and enjoys working with the Literacy Action books. She is persistent about perfecting language skills and continually works to enhance her pronunciation skills whether reading aloud or speaking,” Salyers said.
“Speaking and writing are the skills I have learned most about,” Chavez said. “I enjoy practicing speaking with my teacher, and the book helps a lot with grammar for writing,” she said, adding that she encourages anyone who wants to learn English skills to try the Literacy Action Program.
When asked why she thinks so highly of the Literacy Action Program, Chavez commented, “It’s a great benefit for my life. It’s the opportunity to change and better my life, like with a better job. It’s good to speak English well so you can talk to your community. If you cannot speak English well, you will feel shy,” she said.
Recently, Beatriz has gotten a new job and her driver’s license. We are so excited about these accomplishments and proud of her hard work and dedication. Flora says that Beatriz is the type of person who will “overcome any obstacle life puts in her way.” And, we have to agree with her! We can’t wait to see where her life takes her!
Thank you Beatriz and Flora for sharing your successes as a student and tutor!