Activities like watching videos in the original language, listening to the news, making friends, or reading informative documents make me feel that more doors are open to me. I feel that communication is no longer an obstacle to making a regular life. ![]() “With English, I feel part of this great society in the United States and specifically in Utah, which is the place where I am living now. Instead, I was immersed in stories and knowledge,” she said. In the beginning, I always thought that any book was a bunch of words and was hard to understand however, practicing continually I became immersed in stories and lessons that transported my mind to places where English was not a barrier. In addition to gaining confidence in her reading, writing, and English-speaking skills, Paola said that through her studies at Project Read, she learned to love reading and doors to new cultures (both American and others) opened to her. Project Read is helping me with confidence.” They helped me with calls and emails, and at labs there were always new words and new vocabulary, things to learn. Even though I told them that I cannot speak English, they never lost hope in me, but kept pushing me forward. ![]() They made me feel free to make mistakes and they helped me improve.” She said her current tutor “encourages me to not give up and keep working to get better in English.” Paola said also that “Project Read is a well-organized non-profit organization. My tutors were young people willing to help. Paola has had multiple tutors during her studies with Project Read and said, “It is helpful because talking in-person with my tutor makes me feel that it’s ok if I make mistakes they will understand me. After she passes the TOEFL, Paola is planning to apply for university-level studies in one of her three areas of interest: finance (in which she has experience), environmental sciences (learning how to better care for the earth), or sports (as a tennis athlete she would love to “be helpful” to someone trying to improve their abilities). Although she has officially graduated, she continues to meet with her tutor with whom she set a goal to prepare to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) in May of 2022. After studying with Project Read for around 3 years, she graduated in 2021. She went into the office to ask for more information and her journey with Project Read began. She thought it sounded nice, but didn’t think more about Project Read until she picked up a flier with the Project Read logo and open office hours listed. He told her that Project Read helped people learn English with the help of volunteers. She first heard about Project Read from a friend who was also from South America. ![]() She relocated to Utah in 2018 seeking to improve herself by furthering her education and continuing to learn English. After studying English for two years in Bolivia, she achieved intermediate-level English skills. Paola Lara grew up in La Paz, Bolivia with two hard-working parents who encouraged her to learn English so she would become a better professional and help others.
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