For over 50 years, instructors in Belmont UMC’s English as a Second Language (ESL) program have shared grammar lessons and education on navigating U.S. culture and life in Nashville. When a former student not only takes those lessons, gets a job in the U.S., and writes a beautifully worded note to her instructors, it’s a reason to celebrate.

“I’m here to express my gratitude for the remarkable classes that I had at the Belmont ESL program,” Bruna Silva Poppleton, a Brazilian-born student, wrote to her instructors over the holidays. Bruna studied in intermediate and advanced classes over the past two years at Belmont. “You all impacted my life in so many ways that I can’t describe them in words.” The former student started a job as a staff accountant at a company in Maryland and got married in 2023. “It has been a fantastic blessing,” she said.

Belmont’s ESL program, which serves about 100 students a year, begins classes for the new 2024 semester on January 9. For more information or to refer a student, contact ESLinfo@belmontumc.org.

Photo: Bruna Silva (in yellow dress) joins classmates at a May 2023 picnic to celebrate completion of Level 5 Belmont ESL classes.