When Michelline Montfleury left Haiti with her husband and children as a political refugee, she found opportunity and security in the United States. But her new home presented its own set of challenges. She had studied some English in school, but not enough to get by when immersed in the foreign language.
Seeking out local resources for help, Michelline started studying English as a second language at a Utah County school. The coursework was helpful, but the class didn’t always mesh with her work and family schedule. She eventually wanted to find something to better fine-tune her improved English skills—maybe even a program that could prepare her to go to college in the future. That’s when a friend recommended Project Read.
There Michelline got help from a tutor, who now teaches Michelline one-on-one at times that fit best with her schedule. Michelline says she has really honed her reading skills and appreciates help defining new words, discussing what she’s read, and being pushed to tackle harder and harder novels. She is currently enjoying The Little House on the Prairie.
Michelline appreciates that her tutor believes in her and encourages her to grow in other areas in her life, including at her job as a grocery store bagger. “I want to be a cashier,” says Michelline, “and my tutor wants me to do it, too. I am working on that.” She is working on memorizing produce codes and improving her reading comprehension, still struggling a bit with understanding everything, but always moving forward. “I like Project Read,” Michelline says. “I am better now. I cannot understand everything, but I am doing better and better every day.”
