Each term, the English Language Center offers one or more Allison Rose Fellowships to continuing full-time students. The fellowships are given in memory of an ELC teacher who taught during our first session in the Spring of 1989. These awards are designed to improve language skills by exposing students to native English speakers in a work setting.
Allison Rose Fellows receive tuition remission of $1000 in exchange for 120 hours of office work at the Center during the term.
by John Salgado from Columbia
Can I become an Allison Rose? That was the thought that I had in my head one week before applying for this fellowship last fall. I thought that I didn't have the work experience from Colombia to qualify for becoming an Allison Rose Fellow, so I didn't have the confidence to apply. However, I spoke with people that are close to me, and each one of them encouraged me, so I finally decided to apply for the Allison Rose Fellowship at the ELC with one of my friends.
When I went to the interview, I was very nervous. I tried to answer each question, but my heart was beating so fast and hard that I couldn't think clearly. Before the interview, my friends tried to cheer me up, but all their words just made me feel more nervous. When I finished the interview and got out of Mona's office, I couldn't even remember my answers. I remember that my friends asked me, How was it? What did you say? Who was in the office with you?, but I couldn't answer!
When I received the answer in a letter in my speaking class, I was so happy, but at the same time I was worried. During my first week working as an Allison Rose, I had to speak on the phone with Americans while planning events and activities. Some of them understood me but some others didn't. In those moments my partner and friend Hang helped and encouraged me so much, and I was really happy about that.
This experience was one of the best that I could have had. Talking with ELC students, trying to help them, even just saying hello were things that I enjoyed. Sometimes when I went with the students on an activity, I felt that something was wrong. I counted the number of students more than once because I didn't want that someone was missing. However I gradually learned to relax, smile and enjoy the activities with the students. Organizing the ELC international festival with Elizabeth was great fun and a lot of work! It was very good experience and a an honor because only Allison Rose students who work in the winter term get to participate in this event, as it is held only once every year. I demonstrated my dancing skills with my dancing partner Natalia, who is also from Colombia!
I appreciate all the help that different people offered me, my friends from the ELC, my teachers, and the ELC staff. I will remember this experience forever, my conversations with Hang and Elizabeth, working in the Allison Rose office, picking up the camera for each activity, making copies, thinking about and designing activities flyers. To sum up, I will remember everything about this job – it gave me confidence in myself and about working in a foreign country. I think that if I had the opportunity to do this again, I would be the first one to apply. I wish everyone all the best.
by Hang Tran from Vietnam
My current "part-time job" as an Allison Rose Fellow, often means a full day's work at the ELC, as a student and an office worker. I cannot believe that my winter term has passed faster than I expected. I still remember in my mind the happiest moment of last fall term, when Michelle, my GLOBE business English teacher gave me the fellowship approval letter to work for ELC during the winter term. I could not hold my joy. Congratulations!
This is the first time that I had a chance to study and work at the same time in the United States. It was a very meaningful time for me and I had to learn how to make priorities in my daily life. I had to learn to arrange everything in my schedule to keep a balance in studying, working, and enjoying my life, with helpful reminders and advice from Elizabeth Atkins, my Foreign Student Advisor, who is really excellent leader. It was also great fun to work with my partner and co-worker John in our little office, and to go on activities. From Elizabeth we learned how to plan exciting winter activities and organized a very successful international festival which was a showcase for the culinary and cultural skills of ELC students. You will see lots of photos of this day in the Memory Book. In addition, I had a lot of opportunity to improve my English and communicate with everyone in ELC, or maybe I am simply very talkative! Hee, hee, hee!
To me, the ELC is like my second happy international family in the U.S. The teachers are cheerful and enthusiastic, the staff are very friendly, especially Mona, Ann, Shumin, Sara, and the Director. Thank you everyone in the ELC for sharing a very memorable time with me as a student and a co-worker. I have really appreciated my time working here. Good luck everyone and please keep in touch.