Marina Kravtsova: A SMAS Student to SMAS Staff Success Story

 Adult Ed Works!  A Student to SMAS Staff Success Story

 

 

 



Marina at her desk in the SMART Center

Did you know that several SMAS staff members are former SMAS students?  How did they go from student to staff?  Teacher Cynthia sat down with one of these success stories, Marina Kravtsova, to find out.  You might know Marina - she is our English Learner Specialist. Last year she was also our Student Council Advisor.  As part of her work, she helps coordinate the Student Ambassador program and works with Patty and Cynthia to provide students with information about resources.  Monday through Friday, you can find her at her desk in the SMART Center. 

 

When did you start attending SMAS as a student?

In August, 2011

What level of ESL did you start at and what level did you finish at?

Low Beginning to High Advanced.

What other classes did you take besides ESL classes?
Writing Intensive, Afternoon Listening Speaking, Finding Job, Gardening Club, Pronunciation, Distance Learning, and Student Council.

Student Leaders
Hitomi, Marco, and Marina
explaining Red for Adult Ed
and Red T-shirts Campaign to Students

Marina is shy to mention so Teacher Cynthia will tell you that Marina was very active as an advocate for our school and all Adult Schools during a difficult time for Adult Education.  She worked hard with other student advocates to carry the message that Adult Education Matters.  You can see some of her advocacy here, here, here, here, and here.  Also, she was the first Adult School student to ever be part of state planning for Adult Education.  She was part of the Workgroup that helped plan for the new system for Adult Education.  In addition to all this, she started a Parent Club for students that ran for several years on Fridays at lunchtime. 

How long did you study at SMAS?
Around 4 years.

What was your goal in the beginning?
Be able to speak with parents and teachers in my sons' schools

What was your goal at end?
To get a job.

What is your job at SMAS?
English Learner Specialist - testing students, placing them in classes, orienting within SMAS programs.   

What do you like best about working at SMAS?
I like the people I work with.

How did you feel about applying to work as staff at your own school?  
Less scary; It was my comfort zone, but at the same time it was little bit weird to be interviewed by people i knew for years as my teachers.  

Do you have any advice for other ESL students?
Don't give up!

#student2staff  #adultedworks  #learner2earner #adultedmatters  #don'tgiveup

Marina in action:

Marching in the San Mateo Parade

Denise, Marina, and Cristina
fundraising for their trip to the AAACE Conference -
a national conference about Adult Education.
They presented at the conference.



Marina mailing her letter to Governor Brown on Red Letter Day

 

 

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Cissie West: Student to SMAS Staff Success Story

Adult Ed Works!  A Student to SMAS Staff Success Story

Cissie at her desk in the SMART Center

Did you know that several SMAS staff members are former SMAS students?  How did they go from student to staff?  Teacher Cynthia sat down with one of these success stories, Cissie West, to find out.  You might know Cissie - she works at the front desk of our school in the afternoon, welcoming everyone who walks in the door, answering questions, answering the phone, and making sure newcomers know where to go.

What class did you take at our school?

Diane’s class - Office skills in 2002 or 2003.  I was in the class for a year.

(This class is now called "Modern Office Technology."  If you follow the guidelines, you can get college credit for it.  Learn more here.)

When did you start working at our school?

I was hired in 2004.

What do you do at our school?

My first position was working for Judy Teitler.  She was the head of the Fifty Plus program - for Older Adults.  I was her assistant.  Then I worked for Lynda Mathe, then Jeri - who is the head of the Fifty Plus program now.  And now I’m at the front desk.

What is the name of your position now?

Classified Office 1.

When you started working at our school, had you worked in an office before?  

Yes, I managed a tire company and a countertop company.

Why did you take Diane’s class?   

After 13 years of all the other jobs, I needed to relearn things.  When you work in an office, you have to know more, like spreadsheets.  Computers were getting more popular.  When I was working in the countertop store, it was working with paper and graphs.  I designed kitchen and baths.  I went from the countertop to the tire company.  The companies closed and that’s why I left both of them.  I worked at both the tire company and SMAS for a while.  

I had to update my brain cells.  Diane helped me so much.  Writing on paper is one thing.  Being able to do spreadsheets and write emails in a professional manner... That’s another!

Do you have any advice for other people who have who have been laid off or lost their job?

Go see Diane.  I’m telling you - she is great!   Nowadays a lot of office work is needed.  You learn everything in Diane’s class.  It’s the perfect class for anybody.  Even people opening up their own business.  You learn quickbooks.  So you can learn to manage your book for your own company.

What do you like about working at the adult school?

The people, the ones who want to learn.  

It’s a challenge for me, too.  It makes me want to learn a second language now.

Thank you, Cissie, for sharing some of your story with us.  Your advice can help other people who have lost their job or are looking for a new or better job.  You remind us, Adult Education Matters!  Adult Ed Works!

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Tania Peña: From Student to Staff

Tania Peña

Tania moved here from Venezuela in August 2013.  Two months later, she began taking classes at the Adult School.  Now she works for the San Mateo Union High School District as a bus driver.  She is expanding her horizons, taking more classes while she works and takes care of her children.  How did she go from from new immigrant to community contributor, from student to staff?   Teacher Cynthia sat down with Tania at break time on the SMAS campus to hear her story.

“Imagine You Are Deaf”

“Everything in the US felt too big,” Tania explained.  “Imagine you are deaf,” she said.  “You can’t understand anything.”  The first time she and her older daughter took BART they got lost.  They couldn’t understand the announcements over the loudspeaker or read the information.  Tania knew she needed help to navigate life in the United States as an immigrant and mother.  She needed Adult Education!

“Just English”

When Tania started at the Adult School, her goal was “just to learn English.”  But once on the campus and in class, “Wow!  I saw so many choices.”  She took the Job Class - Passport to Employment - with Jay and Carolyn Lee.  And she took the Writing Intensive Class with Mary Peros.

A Second Home

The San Mateo Adult School became a second home for Tania.  “It’s like a brotherhood,” she said.  “People struggling with the same problems.  You feel that you are not the only one.  You feel hope.  People are close.”

“Not Just Learning English”

“When you are here, you are not just learning English, not just things in the book,” Tania explained.  “You are learning community.  You are learning the idiosyncrasies of the culture.”

Supportive Teachers and Students

Tania said SMAS teachers were very supportive.  “Many teachers,” she said, “like Jay… they do more than they have to do.  They go the extra mile.”  Tania supported in return, helping her classmates prepare and look their best for Job Fairs.  

Like Mother, Like Children

Tania is the mother of four children.  Her oldest daughter followed her into Adult School and took ESL classes, also.   Just like her mother, she felt more confident after taking ESL classes.  All of Tania’s children are in school - two in college, one in high school, one in middle school.  They follow her example and pursue an education and their dreams.

Education Continues

Tania continues to pursue education and grow her skill set.  She is taking classes at the College of San Mateo in computer office technology.  CSM recommended that she attend the SMAS High School diploma program.  Through her work in the HSD program, she is gaining the thirty five credits she needs to have her high school diploma from Venezuela validated.  

A Sense of Belonging

Tania enjoys her class at CSM but she says the college doesn’t have the closeness of the Adult School.  She stops talking to look around at the SMAS campus.   “This school is really good.  The campus is beautiful.  The plaza… “ She grows quiet looking around her at the students meeting and greeting at breaktime.  “Many times you feel sad,” she explains.  She gestures to the plaza, filled with students at breaktime.  “This is the moment,” she says, “to meet, to make friends.  Many people here have a lot of trauma.”

She pauses again.   “Here, you feel you belong.”  

Taking Chances

As a new immigrant to the United States, Tania looked for a job.  Many didn’t pay well enough to support her family.  Then she saw a job poster on Humboldt Avenue.  The First Students Bus Company was offering a class in how to drive a bus.   Tania took a chance to enroll in the class.  “I never pictured myself as a bus driver.  I was scared.  But I said, ‘I can do this.’”   Out of twenty four students, she was the only one to graduate.   

Moving Forward

Tania worked for the First Student Bus Company for a year and then applied to drive a bus for the San Mateo Union High School District.  She started as a sub and is now a regular driver, working part-time.   She drives all over the area, taking students to all the high schools in the district - Capuchino, San Mateo, Mills, etc.  She also drives a bookmobile bus for the San Mateo Public Library.  As a bus driver, immigrant, student, and mom, Tania is moving forward!

Advice for Others

I asked Tania what her advice would be for new students at San Mateo Adult School.  Here is what she shared:

• Set a goal
• Make a plan
• Be relaxed.  It takes time.
• Go step by step.
• Keep going but always with a goal.
• Be persistent.
• Be organized.
• Be positive.
• Open your eyes - there are many resources but not always in the same place.
• Be a good researcher - look for resources and people who can help you.

Thank you, Tania, for taking the time to share your experience with others.  Your story inspires others to succeed!

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Jose Luis Vasquez Palacios: Dreams to Reality

Recently, Teacher Laetitia ran into one of her former students, Jose Luis Vasquez Palacios.   Nine years ago, he was in her Beginning ESL class.  Now he is producing a television show and getting ready to attend San Francisco State University in the Fall.  He was kind enough to share his story with us about how he achieved his goals and what we can all do to achieve ours.

Jose Luis Vasquez Palacios

Jose Luis moved to the US from Guatemala ten years ago.  He attended San Mateo Adult School from 2008 to 2012. At that time, Luis had in his backpack a few books, some CD’s and several dreams despite an empty stomach. He started with Teacher Laetitia in Low Beginning ESL and finished with Teacher Elizabeth in Advanced class.  

At San Mateo Adult School, Luis found people who believed in him, and the support he needed to succeed. He learned not only excellent educational lessons, but also lifetime lessons that he took to his heart until today.

From SMAS, he went to College of San Mateo.  He took just a few ESL classes at CSM and then started taking regular classes.  He majored in Digital Media and TV Production at CSM.

He received a Phi Theta Kappa Key scholarship.  He graduated from CSM cum laude.  Cum laude means with highest honors.  Only 35 out of 152 students graduated cum laude at CSM that year.  He had a 3.4 GPA

He will start San Francisco State University in August of 2017 and major in TV and Radio Journalism.

We works at KCSM as a producer and host of “What’s Up, San Mateo.”  The show airs on Saturdays at 2 pm and covers community events.  Videos of it can be seen on Youtube.

He also creates the videos needed for the CSM Excel Online course.

Q:  What is the message you hope to convey through your work as a journalist?

To tell people we all have dreams and goals and all of them are possible if we set up a plan.  It’s not just having a dream.  It’s about how we start.

Q:  Do you have any advice for SMAS students?

To learn as much as you can.  Don’t take school for granted because it’s free.  Make the best of it.  Come and pay attention. Do your homework.  Get involved in school activities and culture is very important.

Q:  Successful people always someone behind him who loved and supported them.  Who is that person for you?

My mom, Elizabeth Palacios.  She made me the person I am.  She taught me to be open-minded and humble enough to listen to advice, but also strong enough to be independent.  She also corrected me.  She gave me the balance I needed in life.

Q:  Any last thoughts?

I will always be thankful to all SMAS stuff for being there for me and making every school day special. My achievements are theirs, too, because they are my road trip partners.

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