About the Authors

Abdulahi, Shukri – Shukri lives in Lacey and works at home. She likes to cook and to learn English. She came to the United States in 2009. Shukri likes to help people.  Her goal is to become a nurse.

Ag Mahamad, Dawud Yowan – Dawud is from Niger. He has been living in Olympia for 5 months. In his free time, he plays basketball, listens to music, watches TV, and hangs out with his friends.

Aguirre-Guzman, Noemi – Noemi lives in Olympia, but she grew up in Mexico. She has been a stay-at-home mom since 2019. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach, going camping, fishing, and playing with her kids. These days, she is studying at SPSCC and juggling home responsibilities and school. When she is finished studying English, she is going to be an interpreter in schools and hospitals.

Ahmadi, Mariam – Mariam doesn’t work. She studies English. She likes to talk to her friends. She likes to pray.

Ahmadi, Marwa – Marwa lives in Olympia, Washington. She is studying English at SPSCC. She likes to walk, run, talk and pray.

Anzaldo, Leticia – Leticia is from Mexico. She has lived in Washington for 17 years. In her free time, she likes to watch TV. Her favorite TV Channel is the History Channel in Spanish.

Aquino, Nina Joan – Nina Joan is from the Philippines otherwise known as the “Pearl of the Orient.” She has lived in Lacey, Washington since 2017. In her free time, she enjoys making scrapbooks for her family and friends and cooking authentic Filipino foods like adobo for her children.

Arely – Arely has been living in the United States for 16 years.

Bejarano, Jacqueline – Jacqueline is from Peru. She is married, and she has a dog. She has lived here since February 2018. In her free time, she enjoys doing exercises and walking with her dog.

Bong, SungHun – Sunghun was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. He now lives in Olympia, Washington and goes to church in Tacoma on Sundays. In his spare time, he works out, sings praises, and mows the lawn.

Ceja Cisneros, Javier – Javier is from Los Reyes, Michoacan, Mexico. He has lived here since 1989. He has a wife and 4 sons. One is 7 years old. He likes to take a walk to the parks, and to cook.

Ciocan, Eduard – Eduard moved to the U.S. in January 2022 with his wife. He is passionate about motorcycles. In his spare time, he volunteers.

Correa Cantillo, Estella –Estella lives in Lacey.  She works in housekeeping.  She likes to cook.  She has been studying English for one year.  She has lived in the United States for five years.

Corso, Carlo – Carlo was born in 1983 in the town of Tuscany, Italy in the month of February. He has lived in Europe, Alaska, and Washington, where he continues to live and attends school at SPSCC. He enjoys fishing, camping, the beach, and spending time with his family.

Cunningham, Claudia – Claudia is from El Salvador. She has been in the United States for 4 years. She and her family do a hike at Mt. Rainier on Memorial Day, and they wear blue to remember.

Dominguez, Ana –Ana has lived in Lacey for twenty-two years.  She was married in Olympia.  Her kids were born in the city of Olympia, WA.  Every year her family came for Mexico.  Her favorite food is shrimp tacos.  She likes playing Mexican Bingo with her family.  She likes studying English with her kids.

Evelyn – Evelyn lives in Lacey. She has been studying English for two months.

Fernández Martinez, Ana Rosa – Ana Rosa likes to work at her school, Amargosa School.

Francisco, Felipa – Felipa lives in Olympia. Her job is house cleaning. She likes to walk.

Frias Garcia, Jose Alfredo – Jose lives in Olympia, Washington. He works in a nursery.  He likes to work on cars.  He’s been studying English for two months.  He has been here in the USA for months.

Galanton, Richard – Richard lives in Olympia. He is a cook who also likes to make cakes for celebrations. Richard has been studying English for 5 months. He has been living in the United States for 1 year.

Gomez, Irene – Irene lives in Olympia, Washington. She has two daughters and one son.  She has been living in the United States since 2003.  She has been studying English since 2018.  She works in carpet installation.  She will be a chef because she likes to make delicious food.

Griffin, Praphatsorn – Praphatsorn is from Thailand. She lives in Olympia with her husband, and she has lived in the U.S. for 1 year. She enjoys learning new things and cooking. She has been studying English at SPSCC for 3 quarters, so this quarter is her last quarter, but she will never stop learning English.

Jems, José – José works in Olympia. He works in a restaurant. What he likes to do is skate.

Jin – Jin comes from China, and she moved to Olympia recently. Jin likes cooking, travelling, and gardening. Jin has studied English at SPSCC for three quarters. She wants to improve English to learn about America more.

Kadyrova, Nuraniya – Nuraniya lives in Olympia. She is a retiree who likes to grow flowers, make toys for her granddaughter, sew, knit, bake pies, cook, and read. Nuraniya has made many attempts to learn English. At the college she has studied English since January 2022. She has lived in the United States since 2014.

Kam, Kelly – Kelly lives in Yelm. She likes to walk and ride her bike every day and also to read and cook. Kelly has been studying English here in the United States for one and a half months, but in Panama she also studied a little. She has only been living in the United States for 3 months.

Kashyna, Olha – Olha flew to the United States in 2020 with a Green Card. She was born in Ukraine. She lived and worked in Europe as a chef. She studies English at SPSCC in Olympia, WA. In her free time, she likes to cook delicious food for her friends.

Kim, Soyeong – Soyeong lives in Lacey, next to Olympia. It has been five months since she came to the U.S. She’s currently working for a Korean-based company. She’s interested in dental assisting. She wants to improve her English skills through SPSCC.

Kim, Youngsoon – Youngsoon lives in Lacey. She likes to listen to quiet music. Youngsoon has lived in Lacey for about two years, and she started studying English again in April.

Kobza, Alla – Alla lives in Olympia, Washington. She doesn’t have a job right now.  She likes taking care of flowers, painting pictures, and spending time with her family.  She started learning English in September.  She has lived in America for one year.

Lee, Wen Hua – Wen Hua (Monica) is from Taipei, Taiwan. She began ESL this spring quarter. She enjoys reading, baking and spending time with her family.

Ligasan, Maria C. Lovie – Maria is from the Philippines. She lives in Olympia. She volunteers at the Eastside Co-Op as a grocery stocker and has a hobby of writing scripts. She lives with her bedbound mom and her older sister named “Beng” or Lorelie.

Liu, Jun –Jun is from China. Her pseudonym is June. She has been studying at SPSCC since the fall of 2021. She has lived in Tumwater with her family for many years. She loves writing and published a collection of poems, “The Sea of Love,” when she was in high school in China. In her spare time, she likes to read books, play badminton, study cooking, and enjoy time with her family and friends.

Liu, Lori – Lori is her new name. She is from China. She has one daughter who is 14 years old. Her life has changed in three ways since immigrating: her attitude towards life, how she understands the meaning of life, and the way she lives life since she became a Christian.

Louise – Louise lives in Lacey. She thinks it’s nice and loves it there. She doesn’t work.

Mahis, Mastoorah – Mastoorah lives in Lacey, WA. She is a housewife. She takes care of her children. She likes to study English.

Manguna, Janet – Janet lives in Olympia. She works at home taking care of her family. She likes music. She has been studying English for two years. She has lived in the United States for five years.

Martinez Cruz, Eladio – Eladio lives in Yelm, WA. He is not working at the moment. He would like to continue doing sports, but it is impossible.

Mendoza, Ana – Ana lives in Chehalis. She likes to design and decorate. She has been studying English for 7 years. Ana has lived in the United States for 20 years.

Mendoza-Ortiz, Antelma – Antelma was born in Guatemala. She has lived in the United States for 15 years, and now she is taking English classes at SPSCC. In her free time, she likes to read kids’ books.

Montejo Tomás, Andres – Andres lives in Olympia. His job is gardening. He likes to play soccer with his son.

Morales, Eloy – Eloy is from Guerrero, Mexico. He has been living in Shelton for 16 years now. In his free time, he enjoys practicing music and watching soccer games.

Ndiaye, Khadim – Khadim is from Senegal, West Africa. He has been living here for 8 months. He is living here with his brother.  In his free time, he likes to go shopping with his friends, read books, watch movies and go to the gym or play basketball.

Ndiaye, Ngone – Ngone is from Senegal. She has lived in Olympia, WA for 4 years now. In her free time, she cooks, reads, and spends time with her family.

Nguyen, Hanh – Hanh lives in Tumwater.  She works at Amazon.  She likes to listen to music and travel.  She has studied English for five months.  She came to the U.S. three years ago.

Nguyen, Ly –Ly is from Vietnam. She has lived in America (Olympia, WA) for almost three years. She lives with her husband and two children. She has studied at SPSCC since spring quarter 2020. Now, she is learning English in level 6 with Julie’s class.

Olivares, Blanca – Blanca comes from Colima, Mexico. She has been living in the United States for about 30 years; however, she just recently moved to Washington. In her free time, she enjoys going hiking, spending time in nature, and exploring new places.

Omorov, Yulia – Yulia is from Israel. She has been studying at SPSCC since 2022. She loves her three children and wants more. She enjoys watching movies. Her dream is to drive a race car.

Peña, Joel –Joel is from Mexico. He has lived in The United States for over 20 years. He has been studying at SPSCC for 6 quarters. He lives in Yelm, Washington, with his guinea pig (Rio). He has six brothers and one sister. He enjoys cooking, gardening, and working.

Perez, Herminia – Herminia is from Guatemala. She has lived in Shelton for 5 years. In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer, spending time with her family, and attending church.

Peter, Persut – Persut lives in Lacey. He works at Safety located in Yelm. He has lived in the United States for around three or four years. He has been studying English since 2021. He likes to watch movies, especially action movies, and listen to music, especially love songs.

Pham, Winnie – Winnie lives in Tumwater. For now, she works at Westcare Clinic as an administrative assistant. She has been studying English since she was a child because English is the second language in her country. She just moved to the United States a little more than a year ago. So, everything here is still very new to her.

Phan, Huu Nam – Nam lives in Lacey, WA. He is a worker. He likes to play soccer. He has been studying English for two years. He has lived in the US for five years.

Phommachanh, Soudalin – Soudalin is from Laos. She lives with her husband. Now she works in a restaurant. She likes to cook with her family. During the new year, she visits family and friends, cooking special food such as sticky rice, larb chicken, fish, and papaya salad.

Rai, Subhadra – Subhadra comes from Nepal. She has lived in the United States for 5 years. She moved to Washington a year ago after living in Chicago and Alaska. In her free time, she likes to watch TV, knit, and embroider. She also enjoys hiking and camping.

Salas, Angelica – Angelica lives in Lacey, Washington.  She has worked in house cleaning for over twenty years.  She has four children, three girls and one boy.  She has lived in the United States for almost 30 years.

Salazar, Maria – Maria is from Mexico. She has been studying at SPSCC for two quarters. She has four kids, and she loves her family and enjoys spending time with them. She also enjoys running.

Sop, Tona – Tona lives in Shelton. She was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. She has been in the United States for 6 years. She loves cooking, camping, and baking bread to sell for fundraising. She is a housewife with 2 children. She is studying English and Math at SPSCC. She will go to college after she completes all the courses.

Sreng, Rothnaly – Rothnaly lives in Lacey. She works for the government in the Department of Enterprise Services. She likes to travel. She has been studying English for almost a quarter. She has lived in the United States for 3 years.

Thongthip, Sawine – Sawine is from Cambodia. She has lived in Olympia, WA for 20 years. In her free time, she likes to listen to music and clean her house.

Tran, Ngoc – Ngoc is from Vietnam. You can call her Ivy. She has just lived in the U.S. for two months. She lived in an extended family and she has one younger brother. She loves listening to music, especially K-pop, and she likes watching films in her free time.

Valentini, Lucia – Lucia was born in Galatina, in the south of Italy. She moved to Lacey in January 2022 with her husband Eduard and their bunny Nino. She loves life and being sun kissed. She loves nature, the sea, and chocolate. She needs to read and learn every day. To relax, she draws.

Vargas, Camillo – Camillo lives in Tumwater.  He works in roofing.  He has been working out in the gym for three months.  He has lived in the United States for nine months.

Vinh, Mindy – Mindy lives in Lacey. She works as a manicurist, so she does many nails. She loves to talk to her daughter every day. She enjoys using her cell phone to watch movies.

Xiao, Jinying – Queenie lives in Olympia, but she grew up in China. She has been in the United States since 1996. She never went to school before. She works full time at her family’s restaurant and also needs to take care of her two kids. In her free time, she enjoys lying on the sofa watching Chinese TV dramas, and sometimes hiking with her husband and friends. These days, she is studying English at SPSCC. After she finishes studying English, she will take other courses.

Yao, Sen – Sen was born in Panjin, China. He is studying at SPSCC right now. In his free time, he likes to play basketball and go on road trips.

Yan, Esther – Esther is from China. She enjoys art drawing. She has been studying at SPSCC for three quarters. She has one younger brother.

Zabaze, Delphine – Delphine lives in Lacey, WA. She works at Walmart. She likes to dance.

Zhang, XiaoJiao – XiaoJiao Zhang was born in a small village named Zhongcun. She has traveled to many countries including Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Spain, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Now she lives in Olympia, WA. In her free time, she likes to stay at home.