Anyone looking for some sunshine in the midst of this cold, snowy winter needs just a few minutes in the guidance offices of East Hampton High School to find both warmth and inspiration. There, Jeimy Martinez, a 17-year-old senior who arrived in America from Ecuador just three years ago, speaking no English, is preparing to go to college and become a nurse.
“I went to a meeting with my counselor to change my major from biology to nursing. I need to pay [my deposit] by May 1 and I’m going to Malloy,” Jeimy said. “When I first came to high school I had bilingual classes, but only in ninth grade. I learned English in 10th grade and my mother paid for extra classes in Open English [online] for me to learn English and now I help her.”
Jeimy has not only learned English in just two years, but she has fully transitioned from bilingual classes to English-only Advanced Placement courses. An only child, she is about to become the first person in her family to go to college in America, inspired by her aunt, a math teacher in Ecuador. A new English as a New Language College Readiness program, created by Sandra Quinteros, a guidance counselor who was an E.N.L. student in Riverhead herself, helped Jeimy realize her dreams.
“Last year was my first year as a counselor here, and when I started meeting with my seniors, I started to notice some gaps with my E.N.L. population,” Ms. Quinteros said. “They were just so behind in the to-do list. A lot of them didn’t have a résumé, or if they had one, there were things that needed to be fixed. They either didn’t have a list of colleges that they wanted to apply to or thought Suffolk Community was their only option. I could see how overwhelmed some of them looked.”
When those students stopped showing up for regular college prep meetings, Ms. Quinteros started staying after school a few days a week to help them, and proposed a new college readiness program to her department head and Sara Smith, the school principal. Both were overwhelmingly supportive. This school year, E.N.L. College Readiness became an official after-school program, helping students with résumés, college applications, and financial aid. One of the biggest challenges has been the college essay, which Ms. Quinteros encourages her
“Some of them would write it in English and I would see them struggle with what they were trying to say, so my suggestion for them is to write it in Spanish,” she explained. “Think of whatever topic you want to go with, and just write everything in Spanish so it just flows easily and then after that I can read it and we can fix it in Spanish and then translate it.”
Jeimy wrote about her upbringing. “I wrote about my education and everything about my life and how I came here, too.” Working on her essay and college applications has helped her build confidence. She’s now comfortable seeking help from her English-speaking peers. “I try to speak with them only in English to learn,” Jeimy said. “They know that I didn’t know how to speak English and they help me and tell me, ‘you need to say this!’ “
Once school reopens after winter break, Ms. Quinteros will not only be working with the seniors who are getting ready to graduate, but also the juniors who are starting their college explorations.
“We just had our junior meeting, so a lot of our juniors are now coming, working on their résumé,” Ms. Quinteros said. “We usually start them on that résumé. If they can have a list of activities that they’ve done. If they are going to do the common application, it makes it easier for them to fill out that app later on.”
One of those juniors, Patricia Coyago, an 18-year-old from Ecuador, lives with her father, who didn’t finish high school and can’t help her prepare for college. This club is bridging that gap and expanding her horizons.
“I am so grateful for the club because it helped me a lot. It helped me understand how to do my essay and other things I need to do for my senior year,” Patricia said. “I’m interested in business and I’m still thinking about where I want to go to college. I would like to travel and I’d like to go to China. I like the culture, the clothes, it’s all so beautiful.”
Now that Ms. Quinteros’s seniors have applied to college, she’ll help them explore scholarship opportunities this spring and will work on getting them as much financial assistance as possible. Valeria Escandon, a senior from Ecuador who lives with her mother, applied to 11 colleges and has already been accepted to eight of them. Now she has to figure out which ones she can afford.
“We actually met this week to create an Excel form so that she can write down all of the colleges and financial information so she can sit with her mom and look at those numbers and choose what’s best for their situation,” Ms. Quinteros explained
While Valeria is considering going away to college, she’d eventually like to return to the East End to serve her community and be near her mom, who is her biggest champion.
“It feels really good. I have a lot of opportunities,” Valeria said. “I am thinking about nursing or becoming a pediatrician. I’d like to stay here near my mom. I don’t want her to be alone. She’s the one who supports me and she’s really proud of me.”
As the school year heads into its final months, Ms. Quinteros has one major piece of advice for her students. “Just keep asking questions. There’s a lot more bilingual support now. Seek me out. I’m here after school. I’m always telling them to check their email because I’m trying to prepare them for the real world and I’m trying to get them to seek out help.”