GILROY
– When Judy Walko wanted to get more Spanish-speaking women into
her agency’s English classes, her own lack of a second language
made recruiting difficult.
Elvia Hernandez seized the opportunity to learn English and now teaches it to other Mexican women through Vision Literacy
GILROY – When Judy Walko wanted to get more Spanish-speaking women into her agency’s English classes, her own lack of a second language made recruiting difficult.
So she turned to Elvia Hernandez, a Spanish speaker who was taking English lessons at Vision Literacy, the downtown reading and writing resource center Walko manages. Hernandez would serve as a translator as Walko approached Hispanic women needing English literacy help.
Five years later, Hernandez is not only a fluent English speaker and an advanced-level student, the mother of three is an English teacher at Vision Literacy, too.
When the Vision Literacy program won a state award in October, the Gilroy office’s outreach efforts were recognized as a key component of the countywide package. Vision Literacy Gilroy didn’t need to look very far to point out a prime example of the outreach program’s effectiveness.
“Elvia is a great success story. She literally went from student to teacher,” Walko said back then.
Opportunity knocked for Hernandez immediately following her role as translator. The Vision Literacy outreach effort attracted many Spanish speakers – too many. There were women of all ability levels with the lowest possessing not enough English skills to follow lessons in English.
Vision Literacy decided to let Hernandez work with them.
The move paid off. Hernandez now teaches a similar low-level class as well as an “everyday English” course where she goes on English-speaking field trips to teach students how to use the language at places like the library, post office and supermarket.
Hernandez teaches English four days a week and takes a class once a week for two hours to keep improving her own English. She won’t be letting up anytime soon.
“I have no plans to stop (teaching or studying). I don’t want to stop learning, and I feel proud to help others,” Hernandez said.
In fact, her role is expanding. Every Monday, the soft-spoken 35-year-old works as a receptionist for Vision Literacy from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“It gives me more confidence,” Hernandez says.
A belief in herself was something she didn’t glean from her factory job at Gilroy Foods.
“I worked there for four years. I sorted onions and garlic,” Hernandez said of her job.
Hernandez worked a lot of hours at the garlic processing plant, making about as much in wages then as she does now. But for the Mexico-born Hernandez, it’s the “indirect benefits” from working at Vision Literacy that she values most.
“I can help my children with their homework now,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez has come a long way from her Mexico roots. Born in Guanajuato outside of Mexico City, she came to the United States in 1985 with her grandfather and aunt.
Her trip was supposed to last two months, enough time for her to see if living in America was meant for her. At the time, Hernandez was in the ninth grade and her parents were too poor to pay for high school.
Despite the mountainous odds, Hernandez never looked back, eventually earning her diploma equivalency here and working odd jobs before meeting her husband Pedro.
“I always like to challenge myself. I saw opportunity here, and I decided to stay,” said Hernandez.
