Easing the transition: Project helps immigrants succeed through training

It is so amazing, the amount of work it takes for immigrants to get to the point where they can speak the language, and function every day as Americans. Such determination! DP

By Vesna Jaksic
The Advocate, Stamford: As she waited for her computer class to start, Veronica Cabezas skimmed through newspaper classified ads for jobs.

"I check every day," the 25-year-old Ecuadorian said. "I'm looking for maybe baby-sitting, housekeeping."

But finding work has been difficult because of her limited English and lack of references in the United States, so Cabezas enrolled in Project Succeed, a program that teaches English, computer, job-hunting and other skills.

A new group of students, mostly recent immigrants, started their semester in Project Succeed last week. Some had never seen a computer until they moved to the United States. Others have years of computer training but need to learn English and improve their job-hunting skills. But as the program's name suggests, all aim to succeed in their new home.

"Everybody here has a story, and everybody's story is different," said Roslyn Nesin, program administrator of Stamford Adult and Continuing Education, which holds the class at the Adult Learning Center on Washington Boulevard.

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