NYLC, Four-Time Winner of NY State TESOL Essay Contest!

By Isabel Solano and Cassandra Wong. 

NYLC proudly announced in September that Milena Alexandra Martinez Reyes of NYLC Jackson Heights won first place in the New York State TESOL Contest. 

Milena started at NYLC as an Advanced student and studied with us for 24 weeks. Her instructor Briony Bristow commented that at first, Milena was nervous about completing the essay, but winning the contest has helped her gain confidence in her English abilities and validated all that she has learned during her time at NYLC. Milena has since returned to her home country in the Dominican Republic.

Briony Bristow, Faculty & Academic Coordinator

Milena Alexandra Martinez Reyes,
First Place winner

This marks the 4th consecutive win for NYLC, and it is a true testament to the dedication and hard work of our students and teachers. We want to both thank and congratulate NYLC's Director of Studies, Ania Necakov, for being the force that motivates and promotes this contest. She took some time to answer some of our questions as we wanted to get a better insight into what it takes to participate annually in this contest and what it means for the school.


I: Why is participating in the TESOL essay contest important to our school?

Ania, Necakov, Director of Studies at NYLC

A.N: Participating in the Annual NYS TESOL Students' Projects contest allows our students to put their English skills into practice and compete against other ESL learners within NY State. This opportunity also validates our teachers' efforts to nurture creativity in our students, in addition to supporting them in the development of English language skills.

I: In your opinion, what is the main goal of the contest?

A.N: The contest looks to provide English language learners with a platform to express themselves in writing and compete against other English learners in one of three age/proficiency groups. NYLC students compete in a university/adult education category, which includes students enrolled in intensive English programs, community colleges, and degree-based programs or ESOL programs.

I:  Why is it important to you to motivate teachers and students to participate?

A.N: Outside school, students often find it challenging to successfully function in situations where they need to communicate with native English speakers. Some welcome the challenge, others feel too insecure about their "imperfect" English. Therefore, by motivating them to compete in the contest, I express my belief in their competence and worthiness. I give them a gentle push that encourages them to take the first step. And then another. Being able to inspire our students and support them in taking the risk and sharing their writing within the ESL community and beyond means a lot to all of us at NYLC. We are proud of all of them. Our pride and appreciation go out to our faculty as well. Year after year, they provide student support on a multitude of levels inside and outside the classroom. Without their dedication and commitment, NYLC would not be the place that it is.

NYLC has truly made it a goal to participate annually. Under Ania's direction, the Academic Coordinators make sure students and teachers are informed about the contest and do their best to motivate them along the process to submit their work. It is a team-effort that always pays off! 

Ania will be attending the awards ceremony in White Plains on November 15th to accept the award on behalf of the student and school. We are filled with pride for our students and honored to be recognized by others in the field. 

FAQ's by NYLC Students: Part 2, Applying for the F-1 Student Visa

1) Do I need to apply for an F-1 student visa?

If your main purpose of coming to the U.S. is to study, then you should obtain an F-1 student visa prior to entering. To get an I-20 from our school in order to apply for the visa, you should enroll in at least 8 weeks of our full-time Intensive Language Program (20 hours per week) at one of our three main school locations: Midtown, Manhattan; Uptown, Manhattan; or Jackson Heights, Queens.

If you are visiting as a tourist, you are also welcome to engage in part-time, short-term study that is incidental to your main purpose (just “for fun”). We recommend our Semi-Intensive Program (16 hours per week, Mon - Thurs) for this purpose, which is below full-time hours.

A U.S. visa can only be obtained at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad. If you are unsure about which visa you should obtain, you can contact your local U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

2)  How long does it take to get the I-20, and when should I apply?

Once we have all of your documents and Initial Fees payment, we will issue your I-20 within 2-3 business days, then it will take about 3 more days for it to arrive if sent by express mail. We recommend applying at least 2 months before you wish to start, in order to give yourself enough time.

3)  What documents do I need to submit to get an I-20?

You will need to submit copies of your:

Signed Application for Enrollment or online application

Passport biographical page, valid at least 6 months into the future

Proof of financial support (recent bank statement) and Affidavit of Support form, if sponsored

$180 Schools Fees + $95 Optional Express Mail fee for I-20 ($275 total)

These documents can be scanned and sent by email to your NYLC advisor, who can create a quote for you for the cost.

4)  How long is the program/ F-1 visa?

Our minimum enrollment is 8 weeks (1 session), and it takes about 1.5 years to complete all of our levels from beginner to advanced. We also have “Post-Advanced” levels including TOEFL Prep and Business English.

F-1 students can stay for “Duration of Status”, which means you can stay in the U.S. as long as you have a valid I-20 and are maintaining your full-time F-1 status. The length of your I-20 depends on how many weeks you enroll, and how much proof of financial support you provide, but can be up to 1 year. You can extend the I-20 1 more year for up to 2 years total study, as long as you can benefit from more English training.

The length of the visa is up to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where you apply, and could be up to 5 years. Your visa however is only for travel (to enter the U.S.) and does not determine how long you can stay inside the U.S.

What’s the difference……

by  Mia Della Pietra (native New Yorker)

Mia teaches TOEFL Preparation and other courses at NYLC's Upper West Side location. She was born and raised in NYC and lived in Thailand for two years training Muay Thai (Thai boxing) and teaching English.  Now she enjoys meeting students from a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds and loves finding the humor in the challenges of learning English. In her free time, she watches mixed martial arts, hangs out with her two cats, and eats as much boxed macaroni and cheese as she can.   

Am I missing class, or am I losing class? Am I learning English, or am I studying English?  These words have similar meanings, but they are not the same!  Here are some of the most common verbs I hear switched by my students, and here’s how you can tell them apart!  

Lose / Miss

These two I hear confused all the time!  A good way to remember the difference is that when you lose something, it is physical, or an object, or an idea.  You can lose your keys, you can lose your place in a line, you can lose your motivation and you can even lose your mind!  But when you miss something, it’s physically not there.  When you miss class, you are physically not in class.  When you miss your family, your family is physically not with you at the time.  When you lose your keys, your keys still physically exist!  You just don’t know where.  And when you miss your family, you do actually know where they are, but you are not with them. 

Learn / Study

To answer the earlier question, you are both learning English and studying English, but there is a distinction between the two!  When you learn something, you have understood and and now can either use it or explain it.  When you study something, you are continually developing your understanding of it.  You can learn new vocabulary words, and you can learn a new verb tense.  But once you had learned that new verb tense, present continuous for example, you would study it to prepare for a test.  You learn a piece of music, and you learn the names of the different chemical elements when you are at school but you study music, and you study chemistry. 

Hear / Listen

When you’re in class, you are listening to the teacher (of course!)  But what else can you hear?  You can probably hear cars outside on the street, an ambulance driving by, the other students turning the pages of the books, and lots of other sounds as well.  If you are listening to something or someone, you are paying attention to them.  If you hear something, this is just noise that your ears are open to, including what you are listening to.  So listening has intention, while hearing is passive.

Test yourself!
Choose the correct verb and put it in the correct form! 

1. I always  __________  my family when I hear this song.  It’s my mother’s favorite singer.

2. What did you say?  Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention, I was  __________ to music.  

3. Today I  __________  the difference between passive and active voice in my English class.  

4. I can’t find my metrocard!  I hope that I haven’t  __________  it!

5. For the last few months I have been __________ English in the morning.

6. Can you  __________  the birds outside?  They’re quite loud today!  

10 Reasons to Study English in NYC

by  Mia Della Pietra (native New Yorker)

Mia teaches TOEFL Preparation and other courses at NYLC's Upper West Side location. She was born and raised in NYC and lived in Thailand for two years training Muay Thai (Thai boxing) and teaching English.  Now she enjoys meeting students from a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds and loves finding the humor in the challenges of learning English. In her free time, she watches mixed martial arts, hangs out with her two cats, and eats as much boxed macaroni and cheese as she can.   

1. It’s the best city in the world!

Ok, I’m a little biased, because I was born here and grew up here, but I really believe this is true!  After living in NYC, all other cities seem small, or slow, or like big towns, pretending to be cities!  Musicians say there is nothing like playing a show in NYC because the energy is so incredible and different from all other cities. So if performing here for 1 night is that amazing, imagine actually being able to live here!

2. It’s not like the movies

New York has so many famous movies and television shows that depict life here. But how accurate are all these stories?  “Sex and the City” might be the most classic case of unrealistic expectations. Carrie Bradshaw’s life does not really mirror the typical freelance writer’s lifestyle in NYC. So many of my students come to NYC expecting one version of it and find out that it is actually totally different! So what is it really like? You should come here to find out!

3. You can find everything here

Often when you travel you miss the comforts of home. It’s hard to find a community and it can be even harder to find your favorite foods abroad. New Yorkers don’t usually have that problem. You can find all the comforts of home here, and you can also discover new favorites! You will have the opportunity to try authentic food from every corner of the world just by taking the subway to different neighborhoods!  

4. This!

5. Your classmates

There’s a famous song that says, “if you can make it here you can make it anywhere,” and this is definitely true. You will be constantly surrounded by talented, intelligent and motivated people, and you might be pushed a bit out of your comfort zone.  Life moves a little bit faster here, and you will have to keep up! But once you experience the pace of life here, you will be bored by anything else.

NYLC Students Win the New York State TESOL Contest!

Each year, in order to showcase the tremendous talents of English language Learners, NYS TESOL proudly sponsors a student project contest. As usual, the contest theme is framed within the shifting landscapes of the needs of our culturally and linguistically diverse society.
The essays were judged on relevance, organization and overall impact, idea development, content and details and literary style. 

This spring, New York Language Center students and faculty participated in a New York State TESOL sponsored essay contest and our students and faculty were winners for the second year in a row. 

We are so proud of our two Upper West Side  faculty members: Ivan Brave and Jarod Young and their students Semayat Oliveira from Brazil and Ilona Altschuler from Germany.

This week we are featuring the essay that won First Prize, beautifully written by Semayat. Scroll down to read the full essay. 

ABOUT STUDENT/WRITER:
Semayat Oliveira is a Brazilian journalist who graduated from the Methodist University of São Paulo. She is co-founder of the communications collective We, women of the periphery, which is managed by by seven women from low income neighborhoods in São Paulo. The project was born in 2014 with an article published in the Folha de São Paulo, one of the biggest newspaper in Brazil. The objective was to create new pathways to an alternative and inclusive media. Oliveira produces content as a reporter and is one of the managers of the collective. In October 2017, she will participate in The International Center on Journalists fellowship for Latin American journalists in Washington DC.

Locked Up: How to Support Mothers in Jail with Children Back Home

What is the cost of a kiss in the cheek with a “have a good night” from a mother at bedtime? It can be more important and expensive than bail, can change a life. 

"They have a million questions, they want to know where I’ve been". That's what Tanisha Bynum said about having to speak to her children about why she had been out for a while. She was arrested and far from them for days: no phones, no touching. When they finally met again, the kids were curious and she was worried. But, for sure, both sides were feeling relief. 

I read her story in Time Magazine, around May of this year. She is from Alabama and could have stayed for almost two months behind bars. She drove to the beach with a suspended license and got involved in an accident. The other car ran into her and, after the crash, the result was siting down and waiting in a local prison to go trial. Aside from being a mother of three kids, at that time, she was also two months pregnant. Her bail was around $10,000. She didn’t have the money to pay. Luckily, she had the bail paid by the "Mother Bail Out", a campaign for black women started this year on Mother Day by many movements for racial and social justice in different states.

Who is New York?

New York Language Center prides itself in providing students with an exceptional Student Life experience by immersing them in American culture and New York City life. Many ideas for our activities are inspired by information provided by TimeOut New York.  

This past Wednesday, TimeOut New York published their weekly magazine in which they explored some of the stories of the immigrants that contribute to our amazing city. We are proud to say that the staff and students of NYLC provided the translations for the cover! 

The title of the issue is "Who is New York". A phrase whose meaning can be challenging to translate into English and completely lost when translated literally into other languages. Nevertheless, we were up for the challenge, and as expected, the issue stirred lots of healthy discussion about language among our staff and students. 

As such, we are so excited to be a part of such an inspiring issue that is so relevant to the events of our day. We strongly believe that New York City is made great in large part by the people who come to live and settle down here. We were, therefore, thrilled to be a part of this project. Thank you to TimeOut NY for letting us help!

Getting To Know Our Students: Meet Camila from Bolivia!

Our latest video is on NYLC Midtown student, Camila who studied with our school in 2015.

Camila tells her story about moving to New York as a young woman who left her family for the first time and how she gained confidence as she learned to navigate the city and eventually makes New York her home away from home. Hear how her friends from NYLC helped her become comfortable in her new environment.

Student Spotlight: Ivana Minoska, TOEFL Star

We are very proud of New York Language Center student, Ivana, for her excellent score of 106 on the TOEFL exam!

Ivana is visiting from her home country of Macedonia and has studied with NYLC since October of 2015. She is currently pursuing a Master in International Relations and Law. She is almost finished with her degree and is waiting to submit her Master’s thesis upon her return home.

After a cultural exchange program in Minnesota, Ivana decided that she wanted to allocate some of her time to improve her English further.  She loved her Mid-Western summer and decided then that she wanted to study in an American university—but first needed a great TOEFL score! Her goal is to complete her next educational endeavor at an American university. She is looking at law and masters programs at a few universities throughout the tri-state area. Her TOEFL score has given her more opportunities to the types of programs she will apply to, as well as her eligibility for scholarships. Ivana advises other TOEFL students to read newspapers (she reads both national and local papers) and to resist the temptation to use subtitles when watching TV. 

  

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.

A Turkish Student's First NBA Basketball Game!

By Gokay

This week I was thrilled because I had plans to join the NBA game. It was a match  between Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz. When I was in my country, if I wanted to watch the NBA game, I always had to wait until after midnight, but this time, it was a great opportunity for me to be able to watch the match as a spactator. When I went to the Barclays Center, I was astonished because basketball hall was extreamly huge and crowded. 

Also, the demostrations show at the begınnıng and the break were very exciting. Now, if someone asks me what was the best experıence I had when I went to the USA, of course, I will say the NBA game!  The NBA game was between Brookyln Nets and Utah Jazz and also, the game had a different importance for me because I have been living in Brookyln for 3 months. Altough Utah Jazz has a Turkish basketball player, my favorite team was Brookyln Nets. After a contentious struggle, Brooklyn Nets won the game. I am very glad to have gone the game. Furthermore, I'm very grateful to NYLC for this activity set by them.