Immigrant Robert Jordan moved to Katy, Texas from his homeland in Venezuela. With 30 years of chemical engineer experience under his belt, he found his professional options in the U.S. were limited because he didn’t speak English.

He enrolled in an English as a second language class at HCDE. Six months later, he is moving to Louisiana to work for an oil company.

Teacher Zsa Zsa Caburao has taught the ESL class for foreign professionals for a year. She relishes the rewards her students gain as they learn English and return to practicing their professions or find new ones.

This semester her class of 20 students at Mayde Creek High in Katy had a wide range of job credentials. Professions ranged from engineering to interior design to orthopedic surgeon to accountant to chemical engineer. Many were unemployed or turned to minimum wage jobs to make ends meet while gaining English skills.

“These classes have been highly successful and help accelerate the career process for adult students who are learning to speak, read and write English in a new country,” HCDE Adult Education Stephanie Ross said.

New classes in ESL for foreign professionals begin in January. For more information, go to http://www.hcde-texas.org/adult-education.

(HCDE Adult Education is the largest, no-cost adult education program in Texas, with a variety of health care and construction career training options in Harris and Liberty counties. Students may also take English as a second language classes and high school equivalency degree classes simultaneously in a traditional classroom setting or online.)