CLC Student Journey: Good Teachers Lead to Better Lives

Grisanaldy always wanted to be a teacher. She came to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic in 2014. In 2015, she started taking English classes at the Cambridge Community Learning Center (CLC).

Grisanaldy studied at the CLC for 9 years; she took summer English classes, studied for her citizenship exam, and graduated from two programs. She also participated in the CLC's student leader program. In 2024, Grisanaldy represented CLC students at the Diversity and Equity Initiative conference in Massachusetts and presented at the national Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) conference in Tennessee.

During her time as an ESOL student at the CLC, she had many amazing teachers encouraging and inspiring her. "Each teacher taught in a different way, but they all loved teaching and tried to help their students in any way they could," Grisanaldy says. "It is in my blood to want to help other people, and that is why I think I can be a good teacher."

Grisanaldy got a chance to start training to be a teacher in 2024. Her CLC advisor told her about a free training program to become a certified Teacher of English for Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). During the 3-month training program, she learned how to teach English to new immigrants.

"What I learned [at the CLC] changed my life. I met people from all over. People who have travelled a long way, who had struggles, who had joy," explains Grisanaldy. "I want to try to help other immigrants like me. I want to be a bridge for them, so they can learn to do things independently and do things they want to do."

She graduated from the CLC's Bridge to College Program in June 2025 and is now an ESOL teacher at the CLC. Grisanaldy teaches a once-a-week drop-in English class and volunteers as a class aide. "I know having a good teacher can help you have a better life, like I do now," she says.

For more information about the CLC's classes and programs, visit www.cambridgema.gov/CLC.