Beginnings & Endings

Orientation: The Beginning
On the second Friday of Fall Semester, students participate in the ESL Orientation. Instead of attending their usual classes, students from all levels gather in one of the College's conference rooms to participate in activities that introduce them to other students in the program and to the ESL Program in general. Although the program will vary from semester to semester, the following elements are always present:

Greeting and Meeting
Students have the opportunity to introduce themselves to all of the students in the program. This is an opportunity to meet the students from the other levels. During this time, students also learn who lives near them, exchange phone numbers and addresses. If someone is sick or needs assistance, he/she has the names and numbers of those that can assist them.

The ESL Program Overview
The staff of the ESL Program has the opportunity to explain how the program operates and why it operates that way. This gives the students the opportunity to understand their placement in the program and to determine how long they will remain in the program. Students also receive advice about how to be a successful student in this intensive program.

The Rules
Through a series of scenarios, students review the program rules and why they are important.

Important Services
While in the ESL Program, students should be thinking and planning their next step: either a transfer program, vocational program, or a job. Students have the opportunity to meet the coordinator of the Career Resource Center, the Transfer Center, and the Counseling Office.

Advice from Former Students
Graduates from the ESL Program are invited to meet with the new students. These graduates inspire the current students to continue with their plans and inspire them to meet the challenges that come with college study.

Graduation: The Endings
At the end of Spring semester, the ESL Program honors all of its graduates--from the Fall, the Spring and the Summer. The deans, the faculty and the staff of the ESL Program join together in this ceremony that marks the completion of the first important step in the college/career plans of the students. Students receive a certificate of completion that is marked with the college seal.

Each year graduation speakers are chosen by the faculty of the ESL Program; our talented graduates often give a farewell performance, and students leaving the country receive gifts that will remind them of their days at Black Hawk College.