Meet Elaine

My name is Elaine, and I'm from Brazil. I am an Agronomist and now a Ph.D. candidate working on soybean breeding. I came to the United States to work for a year as a Visiting Researcher at the University of Arkansas.

As soon as I arrived here, I looked for schools that could help me improve my English. I was very well received at the Ozark Literacy Council. The teachers and staff were always very welcoming. It has been a period of a lot of learning. Through participating in the classes, I was able to communicate better, in addition to improving my reading and writing.

I had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, so in addition to learning English, there is a huge cultural learning experience. Gradually I came to realize that learning English brings freedom and autonomy. Here in the United States, I had the opportunity to attend conferences in my area and talk to participants from around the world. This was made possible because I was able to learn how to communicate properly. For my area of expertise, knowing English is essential, and this need motivated me to find an environment conducive to my learning here in the United States. I'm very happy with my progress! Today I am fully able to maintain a conversation, write reasonably, and read well. And that has opened a lot of doors for my career.