MANSFIELD, Ohio —Jonathan Delgado, a thirteen-year-old from Willard Middle School, is participating in North Central State College’s (NCSC) English as a Second Language (ESL) Bridge Camp this week. He wants to be an anesthesiologist.
On Monday, young Delgado wondered what he could do now to prepare for the field of study.
“What can I do to get started?” he asked of the professors and NCSC administration.
Dean of Liberal Arts Greggory Busch responded, “Continue to work hard at Willard. Get good grades, the medical field is very competitive. That doesn’t mean you can’t do it but just keep your goal in mind.”
North Central State College (NCSC) is hosting an English as a Second Language (ESL) Bridge Summer Camp this week for fifth through 12th grade students. The camp began Monday and continues through Thursday.
The group of Spanish-speaking students from Willard and Mansfield City Schools engaged in activities Monday that were intended to offer a college life experience, including tours of the buildings and campus.
According to Assistant Dean of Liberal Arts Deb Hysell, the program was designed to help students realize that college is within reach — and fun.
“I want all of the kids to look upon learning as enjoyable — something that’s for them. College is a place where you can be curious, be creative, be collaborative,” said Hysell.
The ESL Bridge Summer Camp is one among eight summer camps NCSC hosts throughout the summer. To curb a perceived disinterest in learning, and to inspire students to continue their education at a college or university, NCSC began reaching out to students in the area four years ago.
Hysell said the ESL Bridge Camp was largely made possible by Wanda Trainer, Willard’s ESL instructor. Trainer translated the program’s curriculum from English to Spanish — a task Hysell described as instrumental in getting information to students’ parents.
The camps cover a range of interests including engineering, creative writing, ESL, Chinese culture and crime scene investigation.
“Often, students in middle school and high school who are required to attend, they sort of lose the love of learning,” said Hysell. “We want them to come back.”
Hysell said the ESL Bridge Summer Camp specifically works to make students who do not speak English as a second language college ready.
“If language, not being a native speaker, is a barrier then as a community college, we want to address that barrier. Just as we provide developmental reading, writing and math classes to students who aren’t college ready in those areas,” said Hysell.
The ESL Bridge Camp is NCSC’s last summer camp this year; but to learn more about the different camps, visit their website or call 419-755-4894.
