Berkshire County — Ana Suffish never planned to be an executive director for an organization.
Suffish worked as an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) tutor in the Pittsfield school district and was hired as a part-time administrative assistant in August 2017. After the then-executive director of the Berkshire Community College (BCC) English ESOL Adult Classes resigned, the college asked her to be its interim director in January 2018.
Suffish credits the strong community within the classes, among teachers and students, to the team as “most teachers had been there for many years and have a strong team mentality.” When she started at the college, she had six people on her team. Now she has 12 people, including both teachers and academic advisors.
Suffish has implemented new programming since she was hired, including alumni student panels, trips to New York City and Boston, and mock interviews with Human Resource representatives from local companies such as Guido’s and Canyon Ranch. “Shared successes and telling the stories of accomplished students motivate more students,” Suffish said.
Suffish, who has Guatemalan heritage, feels that family journeys are more accessible than those of some of the students. She said that she realizes how fortunate the easy transition is and recognizes her experience.
In her work, Suffish said that she wants to help others obtain better living situations, food, opportunities for children, and assistance in becoming productive community members.
“The students in the program have jobs, families, and are trying to accomplish so much,” Suffish said regarding the program’s participants. ”One student who has a business major in their home country came here and saw the struggles of other immigrants, which pushed her to work in social service; she is now a community health worker and works at Volunteer in Medicine.”
Students like Guadalupe Miranda can attribute their ability to contribute to the community to the results of being a student. “I am a nursing student at Berkshire Community College and I am originally from El Salvador, growing up in San Vicente,” Miranda said. “I graduated from college there with degrees in nursing and social work. I enjoyed working as a nurse at a local hospital, where I gained experience working in the emergency, surgical, and neonatal units.”
Miranda left El Salvador eight years ago to join her husband Andres in the United States. The couple currently lives in Lenox Dale. ”When I first arrived in the United States, I knew very little English,” Miranda said. “I started English classes at Lee High School in the BCC Adult ESOL Program and was paired with a tutor through the Literacy Network of South Berkshire. When I felt confident enough to speak English, I applied to Berkshire Meadows for the position of Residential Counselor.”
Miranda has now been working at Berkshire Meadows for over five years. ”I love my job because I have the opportunity to help people with disabilities and promote a better quality of life,” Miranda said. “Since working there, I have become certified to administer medication. I want to thank all the people who have helped me fight the barriers, one of them being the English language.”
To Suffish, the main difference she sees in students now versus when she first started is that most students when she started were men who came alone, earned money, and planned to go back to their home countries or be here for just a couple of years. There were more women than men, and most students now have families, responsibilities, events, and children in school. They are now permanent residents and are opening businesses and furthering their careers.
For the future, Suffish said she hopes to add more classes, specifically computer classes and career-specific training for culinary programs for opening restaurants and food trucks, as well as other offerings that meet the community’s needs.
For more information about the program, call (413) 422-6182, email alp@berkshirecc.edu, or visit the college’s website.
