Meet Dilia – A Lifelong Student
DILIA’S STORY
Adult Education at Grace Place is designed to promote family literacy and serve the general education needs of adults in Golden Gate. Dilia is one of those students. Nineteen years ago, Dilia left Chapas, Mexico, with her infant son after her husband passed away. An uncle living in Golden Gate invited her to come to live with his family. Dilia found herself in a new country where she didn’t speak the language, had no friends or job, and faced the challenges of being a single mom. Soon after settling in Golden Gate, Dilia heard about Grace Place. Though she still couldn’t speak, read or write in English, she became a volunteer at Grace Place, serving snacks in Bright Beginnings classrooms with 3 and 4-year-old children. Dilia enjoyed her time as a volunteer at Grace Place and was looking forward to enrolling in our Bright Beginnings program with her son, Brandon. As fate would have it, Brandon was diagnosed as having special needs and required services that were beyond what Grace Place was able to provide. This was not a goodbye for Dilia and Grace Place. When Delia’s second child turned 4, they enrolled together in the Bright Beginnings Family Literacy Program. “I wanted my daughter to learn to speak English as well as other students in her kindergarten class would.” Dilia’s youngest son entered Grace Place at one year old and was proudly able to count from one to 10 in both English and Spanish. Her family has come a long way. He is currently in 5th grade and attends the Grace Place after-school program. Dilia continues to be part of the Grace Place program, 14 years after her first volunteer experience. “I speak in English, but I want to learn to read and write in English. There is so much more to learn. Grace Place offers many different program options. Some people only come here for one or two things. I am committed to learning it all, everything you teach, I will learn.”
Dilia’s long-term plan is to one day become a police detective. Her favorite subject at Grace Place is learning about nutrition, though she coyly admits that her favorite American snack is a Burger King cheeseburger and onion rings. She recalls being embarrassed during school conferences, which she often skipped due to the language barrier and her inability to read notices that would come home from school. She can clearly remember a conversation when her daughter looked her in the eye and said “Mommy you need to learn to speak English now. We live in America and that’s what everyone speaks”. Since that day Dilia has been committed to speaking,
reading, and writing in English. When neighbors consider going to Grace Place, Dilia always says “YES. Go to Grace Place. You will learn English. They will teach you how to use a computer. They teach you how to teach your children. You will learn about healthy eating and how to save your money. And you will make friends.” Dilia is happy to report that her oldest son is now 16 and is returning to Grace Place this school year as a new Grace Place volunteer, following in his proud mother’s footsteps. Though a translator was in the room during this interview, Dilia opted to be asked all the questions in English. The final question was the only question she asked to be translated.
“Is there anything else you would like to say about Grace Place. Is there something we did not cover in this story that you would like people to know?” She was silent for 10 seconds, sat up in her seat, and replied in English. “I don’t pay for myself or my children to come to Grace Place. But I know Grace Place costs money. The food, the teachers, the buildings. Everything. All of it costs money. Every night in my prayers, I say prayers and tell God to look out for the special people who make donations to Grace Place.”
*As Collier County recently cut its free English as a Second Language and Citizenship programs, Grace Place has experienced a surge in adult education applicants, and we now have a waitlist to attend our program.
