Amy Wong: NYLC student & Law Firm Intern

New York Language Center is excited to announce that one of our students has just begun an internship in a New York law firm!

 

Amy Wong, one of NYLC’s many driven students, has received and accepted an offer to intern at an immigration law firm while she continues her English language studies at our school. She was able to meet with us and give us the lowdown on her internship and life here in New York!

 

Amy chose to come to New York for her first visit to America because she had long been fascinated by New York culture and wanted to experience it firsthand. Amy admits that she has a different background from many New York Language Center students: “I’m a bit different from my other classmates. I have been working for fifteen years without a break. I started my break in 2014. I have been traveling and studying since then.”

 

Gorkem studies and puts his English to work at NYLC

Ismail Gorkem Yildiz on top of the Empire State Building during an NYLC student activity.

Ismail Gorkem Yildiz began his English program at New York Language Center four months ago. Ismail, more commonly known as Gorkem at NYLC, is originally from Istanbul, Turkey and has a Master's in Marketing.  His goal is to take English classes for one year as a better mastery and fluency of the language will help him achieve his dream of getting a position in Marketing Communications when he returns to Turkey.

Gorkem has proven to be an enterprising student. In addition to his Monday - Friday English classes, he wanted to practice outside of the classroom, so he sought out an internship position at NYLC and is now helping our school expand its marketing, communication and social media content. 

We recently sat down with Gorkem to talk about his experiences here in New York City and specifically at New York Language Center.

Juan's motivation to use English professionally

Juan (center) with level-8 classmates Leslie (left) and Taka (right) shooting the breeze during break. 

Juan Gil-Morte sits in the Level 8 Advanced 2 class at New York Language Center more confident now about his English than ever before. He has come a long way since a year and a month ago when he started in level 1 and could barely say anything at all in English. He had studied English in school in his home city of Madrid, but the classes focused mostly on basic grammar with little opportunity to form his own sentences or express himself in his new language. Now, he’s often one of the first in class to share his opinions or explain a concept during class discussions. His teachers notice the difference and appreciate his eagerness to put what he has learned into practice.

"He's a great guy to have in class," Ryan Lee, his current instructor, says. "He's always engaging."

Ryan has had Juan in several classes over the past year and says Juan has definitely opened up and has become more confident with his English. A recent discussion over Super Bowl commercials had Juan sharing his professional expertise with his classmates over how the multimillion dollar tv ads may have been made.

Dasha's Diligence in Mastering English

Darya with the book she picked up at Strand Book Store.

Darya Banchugova is reading a book she recently bought at Strand, the storied bookstore in the Village which she visited at the suggestion of Mike Dunphy, one of her instructors at New York Language Center. The book is a collection of essays by New York writers about the city, and Darya is fascinated by their stories about life here. In many ways, she totally relates.

"I'm just like them," she confesses. "They are both inspired and frightened by New York; they are all searching for something here."

The writers are seeking fame and fortune, she explains. She, on the other hand, is not quite sure what she's searching for if, in fact, she is searching for anything.

This uncertainly, however, is not much of a problem as her goals have always been clear since the first day five months ago when she first arrived in New York and sat in her first class at NYLC--an academic course in Reading and Writing. She always knew she wanted to improve her English and build on the expertise she's gained studying Business English at her university and regular everyday English in high school. Her main goal in New York has always been to master the language and use it to make herself more marketable when she starts applying for jobs.

Wishing Gökay the best in his future

Gökay is about to head back to Istanbul after working on his English at NYLC.

After spending six months in New York City, Gökay Gokmen is ready to head back to Turkey to continue pursuing his goals and take the next step. He’s worked on his English here at New York Language Center and gained some confidence in his communication skills. Next on his agenda is to find work in manufacturing engineering—his major field of study at university. He will also continue his TOEFL preparation and shoot for scores that will get him accepted to a Master’s degree program.

“I’m not sure yet,” he confesses. “I might study for an M.B.A. or engineering management.”

Either of the two degrees will eventually allow him to work for an international company in his home country and be ready to travel abroad and use his English skills. If everything goes as planned, he will matriculate into a Master’s program next fall and be just a few years closer to putting his language skills to use in a professional environment.

Dilek's big dreams in NYC

Dilek Kazak has advanced from the intermediate to academic levels & closer to her goals.

Dilek Kazak came to New York City from Istanbul almost a year ago with huge ambitions for her career. After receiving her law degree in Turkey, acquiring her Turkish law license and finishing an internship at a law firm in her home city, she was determined to study U.S. law, sit for the New York State bar exam, and get her American lawyer's license. When she reaches her goal, she will return home better equipped to advance in the direction she wants to go professionally. 

"I want to be the best lawyer in Turkey," she explains. 

Being the best means having the wherewithal to work internationally. She envisions herself traveling to the U.S. to work with clients. As a corporate lawyer, she may have to help multinational companies defend and carry out their business interests abroad, so some expertise in foreign law is crucial. First though, she has to improve her English proficiency, and we're glad she chose NYLC to get that ball rolling.