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Lucy Juan Lin, an Able custodial staff member, said her English classes at USF have helped her interact with people on the job.
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Employees Benefit from English Education
By Jessica Robles
When Lucy Juan Lin came to the United States from China 13 years ago with her husband and two daughters, she worked making pot stickers for a Chinese food company in San Francisco. She earned three cents for every pot sticker she made, or a little more than $45 per day. When her boss lowered her wage to two-and-a-half cents per pot sticker, she decided to get a better job. But her lack of English skills made it hard for her to even get an interview.
“I was so nervous,” Lin said. “My English [was] no good, and I was scared.” In 1994, Lin began to work at USF as part of the Able Custodial staff. Now, she is one of 17 to 28 students each semester who take weekly classes in the year-old Custodial Food Service Employees Education Program (CFSEEP). CFSEEP, created by College of Arts and Sciences Associate Dean Jennifer Turpin and English as a Second Language Program Director Johnnie Johnson Hafernik, is a free, on-site English course for custodial and food service employees at USF.
Lin, who lives in Daly City, said the classes have helped her interact with customers at her job in the Koret Center. “[It] helps me [at] work because at Koret Center I get many customers talking with me, and now [my speech] is better.”
“A lot of these workers know English well enough, but they need the confidence to be able to talk to students and professors, and not feel intimidated,” Hafernik said. “[This program] really exemplifies what USF is supposed to be about: helping people, making lives a little more comfortable.”
The program was recognized in February by San Francisco State University as part of its Revitalizing Work Awards for Innovation in Training in Companies and Organizations. Other honorees included Joie de Vivre Hospitality, a privately owned hospitality company that established its own university to provide management training courses; LeapFrog Enterprises, an Emeryville toy manufacturer that started a cross-training program for its workers; and Morrison and Foerster LLP, a law firm that has begun training entry-level employees to become legal secretaries.
CFSEEP began last spring and is funded by Jesuit Foundation grants. Program participants take an English-skills class once a week taught by adjunct faculty volunteers Sue Bae and Blair Dunton. Participants are also paired with native-English speakers for hour-long conversations to strengthen their skills.
Marina Monghe, also an Able Custodial staff member, said the classes make her more comfortable. “I learn more English, and it helps a lot,” said Monghe, a janitor. “Nobody [at my job] speaks Spanish, only English. I learn a little every [class] and it makes everything easier.”
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