Editor:

    As many know, I am an adjunct professor at SMCC. I
recently finished two classes with my students who are English language
learners. They are amazing young adults from all over the world and
have incredible stories to tell. As our final project in “Speaking and
Listening,” the students wrote speeches with the only direction being
“write about something that is important to you.”

    Tony Vigue and Moe Amaral from our local SPTV
[community television] station taped the speeches and will air them in
the coming weeks. The students were nervous, as none of them had ever
been taped in this manner and had never seen themselves on television.
Each one received a copy of the tape, and the pride and appreciation
was overwhelming. I am very grateful to Tony and Moe for their
commitment to this work.

The schedule for airing on Channel 2 is as follows: Mon., Wed., Thurs.
and Fri. at 11 a.m.; Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. and for you late nighters:
Mon, Wed. and Fri. at 10 p.m. until Jan. 25.

    I encourage you to tune in to listen to these
amazing students. You will not regret the time spent, and I trust you
will find the speeches both moving and enlightening. I am proud to be a
part of their lives and continue to learn from them every day. They are
an asset to our society and contribute to the real meaning of community
on a daily basis. I would love to hear your thoughts and comments after
you listen and would share all of it with my students. 

Rosemarie De Angelis

South Portland