Literacy Volunteers-Androscoggin

Literacy Changes Lives

A sudent's story...

Six years ago, my family and I moved to the United States to seek asylum. I am a husband and a proud father of four. In my home country, our national dialect is our primary language, and our professional and academic life is conducted in French.

Upon arriving in the US, the language barrier was my most significant obstacle. While I had a basic academic knowledge of English, I was not fluent enough to communicate smoothly and effectively. In my search for learning resources, I frequented the Lewiston Library, that’s where I was lucky to know about LVA and Tahlia.

In our first meeting, Tahlia asked what help I needed. As it happened, I had my very first US job interview just three days later for a bookkeeper position at a non-profit in Portland. Tahlia quickly connected me with a retired accountant who introduced me to QuickBooks and U.S. accounting standards. That single session was invaluable; it allowed me to frame my foreign experience within an American context and ultimately helped me succeed in my interview. I have LVA to thank for that first job.

Afterward, I’ve been introduced to Ben Lounsbury to help me improve my English fluency.

I started meeting with Ben at the library, which was a comfortable place to learn. Later, when COVID happened or when my work schedule got busy, we switched to video calls on Zoom so we would never miss a session.

We always do two main activities. The first is reading aloud. Ben will read a paragraph from a book or a joke, and I pay close attention to his accent and the way he speaks. Then I try to copy him exactly. This has helped my pronunciation a lot. We also stop whenever there's a new word or expression, and he explains what it means in a simple way.

The second activity is talking. We discuss real topics that are important to me, like current events, challenges at my accounting job, or decisions for my trucking business. Ben is a great listener. He lets me try to explain my ideas first. Then, he kindly corrects my mistakes or shows me a better way to phrase a sentence. This helps me learn how to make my English sound clearer and more natural, like a native speaker.

One of the most difficult parts of this journey has been learning to think directly in English. I used to construct sentences in French and then translate them for my listener. Working with Ben helped me overcome this, allowing me to exchange ideas with people in a more timely and natural way. Today, my English allows me to interact confidently with my environment, though I know I still have work to do to get where I want to be.

Today, I am an Assistant Accountant at a major transportation hub, work as a contract Tax Accountant, and own and operate a small trucking business. Throughout my journey, Ben and LVA have been a constant source of support and guidance.

Thanks, for the incredible opportunities you have given me over the past six years.