An ESL student returns to school to aid others as a tutor
When Dominick Quinteros moved to California, his goal was to open a restaurant just like his family’s. To run a successful business, however, he knew he needed to get an education first.
Enter Fontana Adult School’s (FAS) English as a second language program, which not only helped Quinteros improve his language skills, but eventually gave him the chance to work on campus as a tutor.
“My English wasn’t perfect, it was very limited,” he says. “I was looking for an ESL class in order to start college, because I didn’t want to go to college and not understand anything a teacher is saying.”
Although he initially found it difficult to communicate in English, the class environment put him at ease.
“At Fontana Adult School, there is this culture of helping your classmates and looking out for each other.”
Dominick Quinteros, Graduate and Front Office Clerk, Fontana Adult School
“It a little easier for me to open up and start having conversations, not just with the staff, but also with the students, because the students were also part of the same community,” Quinteros says. “At Fontana, there is this culture of helping your classmates and looking out for each other.”
Quinteros continued his education at Chaffey College where he discovered an interest in economics, earning two associate degrees and rounding out his employable skills with office and clerical courses.
“When I went to college, I felt more prepared because it wasn’t just the English that helped me, it was a lot of soft skills that I have that I wasn’t using,” he says. “It wasn’t until I came to [FAS] that I started applying those skills. And then when I went to college, everything just felt better.”
After Chaffey College, Quinteros ended up returning to FAS, this time as an ESL and general education tutor for students earning their diploma or GED. He has also led job-readiness workshops to help students with applications, resume writing, interview skills and more.
Quinteros adds that he likes that his job has allowed him to watch students return with success stories.
“Some people have never had interviews, so they didn’t know the process,” Quinteros says. “We started seeing students applying those skills, applying that knowledge, and then coming back to let us know, ‘Hey, this worked!’”
Today, Quinteros is the first face to greet students when they walk into the office. As the school’s front office clerk, he says being bilingual is vital to serving those who might be intimidated by the enrollment process or who need extra support.
“They just feel more comfortable sharing certain things in Spanish, and same with the teachers. Sometimes they want to share something with the student, but it’s a little hard for them to communicate with them in their own language,” he says. “It’s good to have that bridge, that comfort.”
With all his experience, Quinteros’ advice for adult school students is to visualize their end goal and keep an eye on the big picture.
“If you have that future in mind, it will be even easier to come here and finish,” he says. “There are students who go to work, sometimes they have kids, and they have to balance their work and personal life with their education but having an objective helps motivate them to keep coming to school and better themselves.”
To learn more about the Fontana Adult School, visit https://www.fusd.net/adultschool.
Written by Anne Stokes
Regions | Classes & Topics |
Southern California | English as a Second Language |