For the second year, English classes began at the Colorado State University Todos Santos Center in January for more than 100 residents of the Baja California Sur region. The classes for adults and children both reached capacity, and participants shared their thoughts on how learning English will impact their lives.
“[It is important for me to learn English] because I live with my mom and grandma, and Americans come to our store, so I have to help them. Also at school, I have my best friend who is from Canada.”
– Marilyn Jasmin Rosas Hernandez
“Nowadays I work as a third grade teacher at an elementary school, so I have been very fortunate to have students coming from the U.S. and Canada, where they only speak their own mother tongue. This cycle I was very surprised when the principal told me that there would be a new student in my classroom, but I never thought she was not going to be Mexican, and she only understood English. It has been one of the biggest challenges in my life since I am not very fluent and I have to learn more vocabulary, so I started learning new vocabulary and more grammar structures. Later on, I heard about English courses at CSU Todos Santos Center, so I decided to sign up in order to learn and practice as much as I can.
Perhaps in the future, I have more foreign students, so I have to be well prepared to teach them the best way, and that is the reason why I am here.”
– Roberto Octavio Gámez Rojas
“Speaking English is essential nowadays in all types of jobs, due to the region where we live, people need to speak and understand English as a primary thing. I am an architect, so I have to communicate with foreign people, I also want to apply for a scholarship in a different country so I have to improve my English.”
– Karla Dominguez Castillo
“I am studying English not only as a personal challenge but also because of my job. I work at a restaurant and I have to interact with many Americans and Canadians all the time, so I really need it. I have practiced a lot with them but I need to learn more vocabulary and be more fluent.”
– Blanca Fernandez Orozco
“It is very important for me to learn English for many different reasons:
1. – I live in a touristic place.
2. – Since I am the Subdelegada of Pescadero, my job deals with different people not only Mexican but also Americans and Canadians.
3. – I really like English.
4. – I love to know more about different cultures.
I really want to thank you for giving me this great opportunity to learn, the teacher explains very well and the class is really good.”
– Alma Perez
“Currently, English is one of the most important languages in the world and Mexico as well. Speaking English brings many advantages as for example meeting new people, countries etc. It will be very useful in the future for me.”
– Francisco Martinez
**Olaf Ali Morales Barrales contributed to this article.
About the CSU Todos Santos Center
The Colorado State University Todos Santos Center is the University’s first international location and is core to CSU’s mission of teaching, research, service, and outreach.
The Center provides opportunities for CSU students and Baja California Sur residents to collaborate with local partners and businesses to identify needs, conduct research, and produce impactful outcomes.
CSU’s vision in Todos Santos is to cultivate generations of global citizens and to be a part of creating thriving communities through collaboration, experience and exchange of knowledge in areas such as agriculture, infectious disease, elementary education, environmental and social sustainability, wildlife ecology, veterinary medicine, and public health.
