Our student Stephanie, originally from Peru, moved to the US about a year ago. Back in her home country, she studied marketing at the Universidad Peruana de Ciencias (UPC) (Peruvian University of Science). After that, she decided to study nursing and become an esthetician. She found her calling within the field of esthetics.
Her mother, who had already been living in the Grand Rapids area, proposed that she move to the US and join her to learn English and study in Michigan. Wanting to advance her nursing career, she moved to the US and has been studying English at MLC since October 2025.
While studying at MLC, she highlights the ease of immersion that comes with it. While she was learning the English basics back in Peru, Stephanie noted how hard it was to stay consistent. “It’s impossible because all the people speak in Spanish,” she states. “When you don’t have the words to speak in English, you speak in Spanish.” This lack of immersion was what she was missing to make strides in her ESL journey. Now, she enjoys the constant exposure to the language. She says, “I like it here because if I have a friend here, we can’t use Spanish.” For Stephanie, it has been integral to stay immersed in the language she is learning.
The proudest achievement Stephanie notes in going through her English language journey has been overcoming her dyslexia. She notes having extra difficulty learning new words, sometimes switching up similar ones in assignments and tests. Her perseverance, commitment, and independence is what pushed her through these learning obstacles. “Sometimes, in life, it’s not possible to have help,” she states. Her progress is a product of her dedicated mindset to learning, despite challenges that come her way.
Stephanie would recommend to someone just starting their ESL journey to immerse themselves in the language; “Change all of your language,” she says. To practice, she uses movies, TV series, podcasts, and music to fully immerse herself in understanding English in real-world contexts. In her free time, she enjoys trying new things around her area, including skiing and being outdoors.
After graduating from MLC, Stephanie plans to study nursing at a university in the US and then return to Peru to manage her own esthetician clinic. With her diverse backgrounds in marketing, nursing, and esthetics, in addition to her perseverance and English fluency, she is suited for success for her future.
