Building A Community of Hope for Adults with
English Language Training

Our Mission Statement

About Us

Our Donation Goal

Building A Community of Comfort and Hope for Adults with
English Language Training

Most immigrants (77%) are in the U.S. legally, while less than a quarter are unauthorized, according to new Pew Research Center Report

Language, personal barriers, and financial barriers are among the top reasons for choosing not to naturalize

We know there is a great need but there are no cookie-cutter answers

Our needs assessment gives each person a plan for individual goals

Experienced teachers offer free English lessons at beginning levels

We know there is a great need and

do not want to turn anyone away.

Experienced teachers offer free

English lessons at all levels.

Free learning materials and lessons in Raleigh, NC for

Parental Enrichment Program teaching parents English to help their children with homework
Any adult with a desire to have confidence in English conversations

12-Week Paid Subscriptions for

Business English to improve marketable skills
Advanced English instruction
Accent Advice-personalized instruction to refine English pronunciation

Click Here to Schedule a 15-Minute Application Meeting

Your Donation Can Give a Lifetime of

Hope and Change for Your Neighbors Who Need a Hand Up

Maria and Carlos

Maria and her husband, Carlos, are among the 490,000 highly educated unauthorized immigrants from Honduras. Gang violence drove them to seek safety in the US. The levels of violence are so high in parts of Honduras that Maria and Carlos were constantly worried about gun fights entering their home. Their last hope was to start desperately seeking safety in the U.S. Maria’s husband has an engineering degree, and Maria was a school teacher. They want to be citizens and contribute to the U.S. economy.

They both need ESL training to be able to understand, read, and speak English and use the education and job skills they already have.

Isabella and Ana

It took a long time for Isabella to walk, in sweltering heat, from her home town in Columbia to the US border. It was a risky journey. She was constantly looking out for the dangers posed by drug cartel smugglers and robbers, but a mother’s love knows no bounds. Isabella was walking to protect her 8-year-old daughter, Ana, from Columbian gangs who were trying to kidnap her child for sex trafficking. After the harrowing migration experience, Isabella and Ana sought asylum status in the US. Isabella wants to learn English to help her daughter, who is struggling in school, with her homework.

She knows ESL Training will help her regain the dignity she once had with gainful employment

Tony

Born in Naples, Italy, Tony left Italy and immigrated to America when he was 18 years old. He is now a US citizen, but his mother and siblings still live in Italy. He can speak in conversational English, but many people have difficulty understanding him. Tony is seeking a job promotion for a restaurant manager opening and would like to eliminate grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation errors to speak English accurately and precisely with zero errors.

ESL Training in Business English will give him the English skills he needs for confidence in any managerial situation.

Jose

As a teenager, Jose came to America as an unauthorized immigrant. The stark reality of survival forced him to leave Mexico because a drought in his village caused severe water and food scarcity. With a big smile on his face, he nods his head if you ask him if he is saving his money to get married sometime in the future. After years of saving and hours of hard, back-breaking work, he now has a small roofing company.

ESL Training can help Jose speak English so he will not have to pay a translator to communicate with his roofing customers.

Your Donation is tax deductible. ESL Training is a 501-C(3) Organization

Our Team Members

Working on ESL Training's Mission Together

Founder

Mary Markovich, JD/MBA is a TESL certified instructor who has been volunteering for online and in-person ESL teaching since 2022. She is North Carolina attorney with a private Estate Planning practice since 1994. She is a VA-accredited attorney who combines her JD and MBA with her love of teaching.

By interacting with her beloved paternal grandmother who immigrated from Slovenia as a child with no knowledge of English, Mary saw first-hand the decades-long challenges immigrants encounter in business transactions without comprehensive ESL Training. Her impetus for ESL Training increased while teaching traditional and online university and college Business Law courses for 6 years and frequently encountering students who struggled to learn the subject matter while also learning English as a second language.

In addition to founding ESL Training, Mary Markovich is the founder of LawDox CLE, continuing legal education online courses for attorneys and founder of LawDox Mentoring, teaching the business of law.

Founding Board Member

Lucille Hansen is a former Utah State University English professor who lives in Logan, UT and has been a TESL certified instructor for over 30 years and has taught ESL extensively at the Logan English Language Learning Center and in China for 1 year, teaching in-person English classes. She currently teaches a weekly online class. One of her many outreach programs is teaching educational enrichment classes to summer visitors in her historical mountain community.

Local newspapers have given her awards. A headline states, “Well done, Lucille Hansen!" praising her for countless community service projects and for always giving a warm greeting, a smile, and boundless enthusiasm as she greets her community of thousands of friends she has made over the years.

Assets she brings to ESL Training include extensive professional knowledge in teaching English as a second language.

Founding Board Member

Dr. Kerry Partis is a board-certified family physician who has earned an exceptional reputation for her unwavering commitment to providing comprehensive and compassionate care to her patients. With over 10 years of experience, Dr. Partis' expertise in family medicine is unparalleled. Patients consistently praise her for her exceptional bedside manner, listening skills, and ability to truly understand their concerns. Her exceptional clinical knowledge, combined with her warm and empathetic approach, fosters a trusting and collaborative relationship with her patients, allowing for personalized and effective healthcare. Dr. Partis' consistently high ratings and positive patient testimonials serve as a testament to her commitment to excellence in family medicine in North Carolina.

Assets she brings to ESL Training include her expertise in helping us address any medical issues students may have that are challenges for their learning so that we can accommodate them.

Founding Board Member

Lai Mah is a resilient and determined Chinese businesswoman, who as a child, left her homeland with her family and ventured to the United States in search of new opportunities. Overcoming the challenges of adapting to a foreign culture and language, her unwavering spirit and an exceptional aptitude for business and entrepreneurship has fueled her success beyond her own companies. She is active in community initiatives, inspiring other immigrants to be business leaders. She has also become a beacon of hope for countless individuals, reminding others that with hard work, perseverance, and a relentless pursuit of one's dreams, anything is possible in the land of opportunity.

Assets she brings to ESL Training are her extensive knowledge of the challenges faced by Chinese and other Asian immigrants who are learning English as a second language.

Board Member

Hugh Cox is a VA-accredited attorney with the unique background of being a disabled Vietnam Veteran who assists other disabled Veterans with their claims for benefits they have earned with their military service. For over 35 years, he has recognized the challenges faced by claimants and offers them the necessary guidance, legal expertise and support to navigate the complex intricacies of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) and effectively advocate for the rights and benefits of claimants.

Hugh actively serves as an expert on Boards to influence local environmental and zoning laws to improve environmental sustainability in his community. He is fluent in Vietnamese.

Assets he brings to ESL Training are his knowledge of the challenges faced by disabled individuals who are learning English as a second language.

Technical Director

Ann Acord’s business name, “Old Fogey Guides”, is a humorous tongue in cheek misnomer.

Ann is an expert consultant who is down to earth and helps others with the technical aspects of creating websites and funnels. She has in-depth knowledge and experience in various web technologies and can provide assistance in building and optimizing websites and sales funnels. She has expert skills in the technical aspects of landing pages, designing user flows, integrating payment gateways, setting up email marketing automation, and optimizing the funnel for maximum conversion rates.

In addition to her technical expertise, Ann is approachable and empathetic, with excellent communication skills. She understands the needs and limitations of her clients. If asked, she will explain complex technical concepts in simple terms, while providing guidance and support throughout the website or funnel creation process.