Testimonials

“It really helped to have someone who could listen to my thoughts and feelings.”

“My name is Hakan. I am 39 years old from Turkey. I have been in the USA since March 2017. When I first came to New Jersey I was alone. My family was back in Turkey because the US embassy rejected their visa application. My plan was to apply for a visa in the USA to bring my family over.

I found Project Literacy through their website. I applied to get English tutoring. A few weeks later, Antonio Brugnoli called me and said he found a tutor for me.

I met my tutor Tony on a Wednesday night. At first, I was a little shy. But I spoke with Tony about my family and playing soccer with my son Husseyin, and I began to open up.

My lessons with Tony were 2 hours every week. I am a kitchenware distributor in Turkey, so we practiced writing business emails and making business phone calls. We also used a picture dictionary to learn about sports, food, and other vocabulary.

Tony helped me sign up for volunteer projects. I helped disabled children and seniors in the hospital and different places with New York Cares. I was alone in the USA, but I felt much happier helping people less fortunate than myself.

It really helped to have someone who could listen to my thoughts and feelings. Tony and I talked about our lives and we became good friends.

Tony even invited me to his house for Thanksgiving to meet his family. I tried new foods from the Philippines, and Tony tried new foods from Turkey. I told Tony that my dream was for his family to meet my family for Thanksgiving the next year.

In February 2018 my family had a visa meeting with the US embassy in Istanbul. My wife called me and said that their visa was approved. It was the happiest I had felt in months. I bought plane tickets for my family and one week later they were in Istanbul.

At the airport I brought a soccer ball for my son and flowers for my wife and two daughters.

Two weeks later, my tutor Tony had a party to welcome my family to the USA. My family finally met his family. My dream came true. I was with my family and new friends in the USA.

Project Literacy made me feel less alone in the USA. It helped me adjust to life in America and to make more friends. It gave me a map to understand American culture and people. I highly recommend Project Literacy to anyone who wants to improve their English skills and to make new friends in America.”

“Project Literacy is a wonderful program.”

''Please let us know how we can be helpful''.

That's what they said when I first got in contact with Project Literacy. I was a student of this program for three and an half years and I finished last December. Words are not enough to describe how much they have done for me. At a difficult time when so much was mew for me and I understood so little of the English Language they were the source of support I needed.

Project Literacy is a wonderful program. Working one on one and focusing on student's individual needs makes this program a success. The dedicated staff members and volunteers are doing a great job of helping others. I am especially thankful for my teacher Mr. Paul Talarico. He is very kind and knowledgeable person who always encouraged me to learn more and work hard. Beside helping me to improve my English, he taught me about American history, different cultures and customs, how to behave at work and much more.

I feel thankful to have been a student of Project Literacy. It has made a big difference in my life, and I really appreciate everyone's help.”

“I accomplished speaking in English in front of many people”

“My name is Eunjung. Sophia and I had learned English from my tutor ‘Thomas’ for a long time. How Literacy Project and Thomas helped me. The precious memory will light my life forever in many ways. Now, I’d like to tell you about the story of how much I improved with English since I took ESL lessons with my tutor ‘Thomas’.

My story took place on a freezing and snowy morning last year. I was scheduled to appear in court to testify about an automobile accident. I felt very cold, tired and at the same time, I also had butterflies in my stomach. This was because I had trouble sleeping the night before. I had been worrying for months about this day.

When I arrived at court, I was shivering even more with fear, and I didn't have any confidence in testifying, because I was still learning English. I totally regretted my decision not to use an interpreter, and now it was too late to ask for one.

At last, after praying and crossing all my fingers, I began to testify. I could answer fairly well when my attorney asked me some questions, because he had given me some advice in advance. So I was slightly relieved that I started off well. However, I mumbled a lot when the defense attorney asked me unexpected questions. After many ups and downs, I finally finished everything without the help of an interpreter. And a few hours later, I luckily obtained a favorable decision in court. That was the proudest day of my life in the states, because I accomplished speaking in English in front of many people for a long time. I had never done that before.

On my way home from court, I looked back upon my early days in moving to the U.S.A. Then, I couldn't even order my favorite coffee at Starbucks, and couldn't call the doctor's office to make an appointment for my son when he had a fever. I had changed so much that I couldn't believe it. This was all thanks to my tutor, Thomas, who has taught me for a long time. He has helped me become very confident in my abilities, and to navigate my new path in this country. I am extremely lucky to have a chance to work with my tutor, Thomas!”