She walked slowly into the classroom with the help of her cane and a friend at her side and took a seat near the front of the room. As the semester progressed, I came to learn why a young woman such as herself walked with a cane. I’ll call her Sarah.

Sarah was a young mother living in a city in the midst of a civil war in Syria. One day, as Sarah was at home taking care of her children, a bomb exploded outside near her window and she was terrified for her children and herself. In the chaos of the moments after the explosion, Sarah realized that she could not get up off the floor. It turns out that Sarah had suffered a stroke caused by the stress of living in a city under siege and the explosion just outside her home that day.

Later, she and her family were able to leave Syria and were welcomed into the U.S. as refugees. Like most refugees, they arrived with very few possessions other than some clothing. Once they got settled, Sarah started a program of physical therapy, learning to speak and walk again. Eventually, she found her way to LCC and into my intermediate level English as a Second Language class. I was fortunate to have Sarah as a student two consecutive semesters as I taught the ESOL grammar/writing sequence of pre-academic English.

Sarah was one of the brightest lights in the class both semesters. She came to class with a smile every day and an eagerness to learn. Occasionally, she had to come to class a bit late or leave class a few minutes early to go to her physical therapy appointments, but Sarah never missed a class and her English skills improved.

Eventually, her husband opened a restaurant on the south side of Lansing and Sarah invited me to the grand opening along with family and friends. I was honored to meet her husband and children and be included among the guests. No one paid for the food that day. Sarah explained that this was their custom when opening a new restaurant.

Sarah and her family had started over and succeeded. LCC allowed her to learn the English skills that she needed to support her children in their schoolwork and become a contributing member of the Lansing community.

Sarah’s story of determination and optimism is one that stands out. Because of Sarah and many other ESL students like her, I’ve developed greater empathy along with a sense of awe for the resilience that it takes for someone to lose everything and start over again.