Student Spotlight: Lily & Evan
Meet our students Lily & Evan, a couple from Beijing who have both been working with LBN’s tutors to improve their English-speaking skills.
Traveling over 6,000 miles across the world to live in a new country with a different language, customs, and way of life is a daunting task. That’s just what Lily and Evan decided to do when their son was very young. Having experienced a highly competitive and stressful educational system themselves, they wanted to provide their only child with more opportunities for an enjoyable school experience. This was the beginning of a long but successful process to emigrate to the U.S. in 2021.
Both grew up in the capitol city of Beijing where they achieved university degrees and professional occupations — Lily as an accountant and Evan in computer sales. They chose to settle in the Buffalo area to join relatives who lived here.
Lily and Evan learned to read English in China, believing it to be a “world language,” but understanding speech in English was not something either felt comfortable with. A friend told them about a program to help them learn conversational English: Literacy Buffalo Niagara.
“Evan and Lily believe that Western education and the ability to learn good English skills has provided many opportunities for their family.”
Both students agree that their limited communication in English was the most challenging part of moving to America. Evan describes feeling “shame” about speaking English even though he could read the language well. He finds tutoring very helpful and receives a lot of encouragement from his tutor. He is no longer nervous about talking with strangers and has more “confidence and courage” in using his English. Evan is an active and energetic man who enjoys pickleball and cycling for recreation.
Lily is a reserved woman who is less inclined to talk with strangers than her husband. She has also found her tutor to be a great source of help and encouragement, and enjoys completing her assigned homework to practice the new skills she’s learning to use. Lily “can now speak English to others where before I could only read.” She wants to continue studying and watches many shows on PBS to help further her understanding of spoken English. As an avid reader in several languages, Lily has hopes of working in a local library when she is more confident speaking English.
Lily and Evan are very happy with their decision to move to the U.S. Their son is a successful university student and they enjoy comfortable living conditions here. They believe that Western education and the ability to learn good English skills has provided many opportunities for their family. They even decided that Evan’s parents should come to live with them in Buffalo, which makes the feeling of “being home” even stronger. LBN has been a positive support as they build a successful and prosperous life here.
