Sister Cecilia La Pietra

Sparkill, NY

I am the director of One to One Learning, an organization whose mission is to provide English classes and other supportive sevices to immigrants to empower them to reach their full potential and to lead meaningful lives in the communities in which they live and work.  Classes are held in small groups with a teacher and several students.  

Another part of our mission is to build bridges of understanding among students and with the teacher in each group.  Stereotypes are broken down as teachers connect with students in an informal way.  The effect this has on teachers is noted in this example of one of our teachers who said, " When I am in a discussion about immigrants, I am able to share my experience of hard-working individuals, family and faith-oriented, and most anxious to learn English."

Our students are able to see in One to One Learning, persons who are interested in them and wanting the best for them