Summer 2025 (Volume 35, Issue 2) Language Accessible Version
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does” – William James
STUDENT VOICES
The following stories are written by VEP students about their experiences as immigrants. To submit a student-written story, essay or poem for future editions of the newsletter, email volunteer.english@volunteerenglish.org.
Heartfelt Thanks and Unexpected News
by Alessia
I’m writing to share some unexpected news that has recently come up in our lives. My husband’s company has suddenly decided to transfer him back to Italy, and we’ll be relocating in mid-June.
I’m still in shock, as I was finally beginning to build something meaningful here in the U.S.—thanks largely to [my tutor] Liz’s support. Even though I only started working with her five months ago through the VEP, her impact on me and my family has been profound.
Liz quickly became more than just a volunteer, she became a friend. She spent more time with me than required, gently guiding me, supporting my emotions, helping me discover the area, immersing me in American culture, and offering invaluable advice. Everything she did was filled with care, kindness, and genuine love.
I’m incredibly grateful for this experience, and I’m deeply saddened to say goodbye. Yet, I’m so thankful that it happened—this has been one of the most meaningful parts of my time in America. I’ll carry everything I’ve learned with me and hope to one day pay it forward.
The VEP is a powerful and impactful program, and I feel enriched, more self-aware, and inspired to help others in the future. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.
Tajumulco, the Highest Mountain in Guatemala
by Dorli F.
In my home town of El Porvenir, there is the highest mountain in Guatemala. It is the tallest peak in Central America. The name of this mountain is Tajumulco. When I was young, I would look up the mountain to see the top. There was no snow, only clouds and ice. The temperature was very cold.
My mother told me it was peligroso, dangerous to hike to the top. I never tried to get to the top. When I was twelve years old, my older brother walked to the top with mountain climbers. There was no road, only a trail. It took about eight to twelve hours to hike to the top. He carried a small, square mirror with him. When he got there, he could see all the towns around Tajumulco. He put his mirror up to the sun, and that’s when we saw the bright light. This was his signal to us that he had made it to the top.
My then-boyfriend, Elmer and his mother, hiked to the top of Tajumulco when he was nineteen years old. His mother is a very strong woman! Can you imagine? At thirteen-thousand feet elevation, the air is thin, and it is difficult to breathe. One man had a heart attack at the top. It was in the newspaper. This is why my mother told me it was peligroso.
Tajumulco is 13,789 feet elevation. It is a volcano, with lava. When I lived there, I could feel terremotos, earthquakes at night, little ones, not too big. This volcano has never had an eruption. It is a good thing because there are over five million people who live within a radius of one-hundred kilometers of Tajumulco.
Now there is a road for cars to go up most of the mountain. Then it is a 2 hour walk to the top. It is beautiful to see Tajumulco rise up behind Main Street in our town.
PHILANTHROPY
Why I Chose to Automate my VEP Donations
Tutor Kathy Witman talks about her decision to automate her monthly giving to her favorite nonprofits. This type of sustained giving saves nonprofits time and money, as well as providing an invaluable known, dependable revenue stream.
These days, it’s more important than ever to give our support to the organizations that do so much good for so many. I’d like to share some thoughts about why I now automate my donations to the organizations that are the most important to me, such as the Volunteer English Program in Chester County.
Until recently, I’d wait for an appeal to come in, and while I always intended to give, sometimes life just gets in the way. But in an environment that now includes more uncertainties than ever for [nonprofit] organizations, I wanted the peace of mind of knowing I am consistently and reliably supporting them, along with the simplicity of recurring donations.
These automated donations mean that I don’t have to remember donation cycles or worry about missing an appeal. I simply set it and forget it, knowing that I am doing my part to ensure that VEP students will have access to the valuable services that our organization provides. You already know the incredible impacts: our students learn English, improve the life and job skills that they need in their new environment, build lasting friendships within the community, and enhance the quality of life of everyone in Chester County.
Automating donations is a proactive, stress-free, and highly rewarding act of sustained support. It makes me feel good to know that I am making a steady, predictable difference. If you’re looking for a way to maximize your support for VEP with minimal effort, I highly recommend considering automated donations. It’s a simple step that makes a world of difference for the program and for our entire community.
-Kathy Witman, VEP Tutor
To make a recurring donation to VEP, click here.
FUNDER NEWS
Coalition of Support Advances Technology Project
VEP is grateful for recent grants from Westminster Presbyterian Church, Chester County Community Foundation and five individual donors in support of our information technology (IT) infrastructure project. As the demand for our services have grown, an upgraded IT system will allow us to strengthen our support for tutors and students, streamline administrative processes and enhance students’ learning experience.
With this funding, we will further upgrade our customized online portal to be more user-friendly and functional for both tutors and students. It will focus on improving hour tracking, providing easier access to learning materials and enhancing communication between tutors, students and staff. These improvements will not only increase engagement but will also help us collect meaningful data to assess student progress and impact.
Implementation began with system development by BackOffice Thinking consultants, followed by staff and tutor testing. The launch of this fully improved portal will ensure that the VEP community benefits from these enhancements as quickly as possible.
EVENTS
Tenth Annual Tutor Summit
VEP tutors, board members, staff, and community partners gathered at Calvary Lutheran Church in West Chester for a morning of friendship, lively conversation, and strategic brainstorming at our Tenth Annual Tutor Summit. Interactive presentations included imagining VEP’s future through a guided “vision cafe” with Meghan McVety of Capacity for Change, building a workforce readiness “toolbox” with Juan Valencia and Josephine Girdner of PA CareerLink of Chester County, and using storytelling to teach language learning with Dr. Meg Niiler of West Chester University of PA. We are grateful for the insights, collaboration, and commitment to strengthening our communities that made this year’s Summit a powerful experience for everyone involved.
Thank you to the tutors who joined us in person and in spirit. We are also grateful to Dominik Bovan, son of VEP student Jana Bovanova, whose family business, Promo4Brands, produced the baseball caps for a distinctive event memento. In conjunction with the summit, tutors generously donated 134 pounds of food to our community partners at West Chester Food Cupboard.
Fifth Annual Chester County Open Tennis Tournament
Returning for its fifth consecutive summer, the Chester County Open Tennis Tournament, with support from USTA-Middle States/Philadelphia and sponsored by Crimson Review, Tennis Addiction, and ExpertusONE, was in full swing over Labor Day weekend at Bishop Shanahan in Downingtown. Organized by Event Chairperson TT Krishnagopal, Board Members Sridhar Iyer and George Marion, Jr., and Committee Members Deepak Patel and Russell Chamberlin, the tournament once again brought together a diverse group of tennis aficionados and supporters, offering club-level players a tournament experience while raising funds for local nonprofits.
All proceeds benefited the Volunteer English Program, with a food drive supporting the West Chester Food Cupboard. Congratulations to the winners, finalists and participants and many thanks to all who participated! We also thank those who participated in the tournament’s first ever Virtual Silent Auction. Winning bids included a condo rental at the Jersey Shore, original art, and tennis equipment and lessons with a pro.
An Evening Around the World
Please join us on Thursday, October 23rd from 6 to 9 pm at Penn Oaks Country Club in West Chester for our annual fundraising gala. The evening will feature wine pairings, food and music as well as inspirational stories. Invitations to follow.
THEN AND NOW
So many pairs remain in touch long after their formal instruction time concludes. As VEP prepares to commemorate its 40th anniversary in 2026, please contact us at volunteer.english@volunteerenglish.org to share your stories about the impact of being matched with a VEP tutor and learning English. We welcome both tutor and student stories.
Tutor Brett Swailes describes how learning English gave rise to student Lina Z.’s remarkable success.
I was first introduced to Lina as a potential student on October 24, 2012. Her husband was from Hong Kong and happened to be a fluent English speaker. She was a markedly different individual than my last student—who had about 5 years of academic English in China, as well as a Ph.D. in Quantum Chemistry. While he was able to read English in a proficient manner, Lina had less than two comprehensive courses in workplace English at Heilongjiang, a technical school in China.
Lina was animated about the prospects of really learning conversational English. She haltingly spoke to me in some likely memorized speech, but I understood her sheer determination, above her English skills. She answered questions simply, and with help from her husband, managed to convince me of her need to fit in this new country with its seemingly strange cultural and linguistic hurdles. Her English was basic, but her attitude was enough to persuade me to try out some initial meetings.
She was, in retrospect, one of the bravest people I have ever met. Let me elaborate.
Lina had little patience for my instructional books or the free workbooks provided to VEP students. She eschewed a lot of formal grammar, engaging instead upon totally English conversations. We were meeting at the Parkesburg Public Library, which was accessible only by public transportation. She managed to convince different drivers with her English, and probably some tears, to transport her from her neighborhood to the street right down from the library. Her navigation of the public transport system was such an example of intestinal fortitude and sheer guts! That was when I decided that I was indeed correct about her emotional strength. It was to serve her very well, indeed, and she became my student and remained so for almost six years. What a time it turned out to be!
I explained to her that the United States was an automobile-centric society. I suggested she learn to drive. I wasn’t sure she had it in her but indeed, I was wrong. She showed up at the library on the day of her next lesson with the handbook from the state’s DMV branch. In it, the vagaries of the Pennsylvania streets and highways were outlined, especially for taking the written driver’s test. It was my first look at this that persuaded me to ask her a question: “Can you be strong enough to fail this test and yet manage to not give up?” She said she would not quit, even if the test was not in Chinese. I told her I doubted the veracity of whoever told her about “the Chinese Option,” but she said I was wrong. We pored over the text until she had the concepts down in her memory. Of course, when she took the test it was English. She passed both the written, as well as the driving test. Soon, she and her husband bought her a Hyundai to drive to our meetings. We were off to a running start. The next six years would be eventful.
I told Lina that she might consider an eventual college degree from the United States. I explained the need for a GED and spoke to her about the difficulties involved. She enrolled and spent many months in study for that diploma. She took the test on several occasions, eventually passing, even with her broken English. Referred by the faculty, Lina won her first award, “The Rising Star Award” from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. This award recognizes exceptional students who demonstrate leadership, academic excellence, and a commitment to their communities. She won again in 2023, earning her second “Rising Star Award.” She was honored at the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils (PASC) annual conference for her contributions and achievements.
For her next performance, Lina talked to guidance at Delaware County Community College and managed to get herself into the accounting degree track. She finished her associate’s degree with honors.
She next enrolled at West Chester University of Pennsylvania in their accounting program. With diminishing help from me, Lina was awarded her bachelor’s degree in accounting. I was invited to her graduation and watched her graduate with a lump in my throat at her honors and achievements.
Lina now works for PwC — one of the Big Four accounting firms in the United States for several years now. All I did was provide English tutoring and writing support on several of her college papers and combined that with a prolific number of miles on my vehicle. I cannot take credit. Indeed, all I did was outline future scenarios, and watch her power her way to the top. It has been my privilege.
RESOURCES
ESL and Educational Links Support Student Learning
Did you know that there are dozens of links to free ESL and other educational resources on the VEP website? These websites offer a variety of interactive exercises, videos, and information that cater to different language skills such as grammar, pronunciation, reading, and writing. Also included are news articles, citizenship test and college prep guides, and links to mobile apps. These resources can help reinforce lessons outside of tutoring sessions, giving students the opportunity to practice at their own pace. Additionally, these websites often include cultural content, which helps students better understand the context in which English is spoken globally.
Get Involved – Help Us “Say Yes” to Every Student
At the Volunteer English Program (VEP), we witness how English language skills unlock access to opportunity: the ability to choose where to work, where to live, and how best to raise a family. Our students—newcomers from around the world—gain confidence and agency through language. With each lesson, they grow their ability to speak, read, write, and listen in English.
This work is not easy. But it is meaningful. And in these times, it is absolutely essential.
Thank you to our supporters who have helped us “say yes” to every student request. Since January, more than 50 new individuals have participated in our Tutor Training Workshops and Information Sessions. We are excited to welcome these new friends into the VEP family. We are also grateful to the numerous seasoned tutors who have accepted new students and others who have returned to active service.
New Tutor Information Sessions
- Interested in learning more about tutoring? Join us at a Virtual Information Session on Thursday, September 25th at 6 pm.
- Email volunteer.english@volunteerenglish.org for the zoom link or more information.
Tutor Training Workshop
- Ready to become a tutor? VEP’s virtual Tutor Training Workshops continue to fully prepare volunteer tutors to teach English to our 100+ person waiting list of non-native speakers who live or work in Chester County.
- Register online for our next Tutor Training Workshop on Tuesday, October 28th, Thursday, October 28th, & Monday, November 3rd from 9 to 11 am.
- Workshops are virtual, but a hard-copy Tutor Training Guide will need to be picked up at the VEP office in West Chester the week before training starts.