“The start is crucial. If you have the courage to start, you are already moving towards your dream.”—Young Hwa Choi
This is not just something local resident and adult learner Young Hwa Choi says … these are words she lives by.
Growing up in South Korea, Young learned English from books and teachers who had never been to the United States or other English-speaking countries. “So, it would be more accurate to say that I learned grammar from them rather than learning how to speak English,” says Young.
Young immigrated to the United States more than a decade ago. She and her family settled in Koreatown near downtown Los Angeles, where she raised her daughters for 10 years. With Korean spoken at many community organizations, such as schools and churches, she had little opportunity or need to use English.
But then the pandemic struck, and they moved to Pasadena in late 2020, where everything was unfamiliar. “We expected to meet other Koreans at our children’s school, but we didn’t,” she says. “To make matters worse, my husband lost his job.” As their financial situation grew more difficult, Young realized that she would need to learn to speak English to get a good job.
She Googled free English lessons and found the program offered at the Bob Lucas Memorial Library & Literacy Center, which was close to home. She sent an inquiry, and within a day, she received a call from Diana Wong, the branch manager of the library.
“Diana was very kind, and she asked why I wanted to learn English,” says Young. “Then she introduced me to several programs.”
The library provided the sessions and learning materials for free, and Young joined an English conversation class, a book club, and started one-on-one tutoring with Ralph Goldstein. During the first session with her tutor, she set her goals in detail – including her top priority of getting a job.
“Young was highly literate. She came to the U.S. with a bachelor’s and master’s degree,” says Ralph, a retired teacher who began volunteer tutoring in 2017 and with the Bob Lucas Library program in 2021.
He quickly switched to more difficult reading materials, including articles about K-pop and the experiences of Korean Americans from the L.A. Times, New York Times, and Guardian newspapers and materials from Google Scholar. “It has to be of interest and help build vocabulary,” he says.
Young worked with her tutor for many months, reading aloud and working toward her goals. She also applied for a job. Ralph reviewed her resume and cover letter and helped her practice for the interview.
The hard work paid off. Young landed the part-time job that she applied for at the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH), where she promotes the importance of mental health awareness to the community.
About the same time, she also learned about a writing contest hosted annually by the Southern California Library Literacy Network, a nonprofit organization established in 1985 that has 49 member libraries, including the Altadena Libraries. Open only to literacy learners from libraries, the contest promotes reading and encourages learners to practice their writing skills. The learner and tutor select a book, read through it together, and the learner writes a 500-word letter to the author, sharing their impression of the book or the impact it had on them.
Young and Ralph decided to tackle “Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee. From August through October 2021, they met twice a week for 60-90 minutes and read aloud the 470-page novel, paragraph by paragraph, stopping frequently to define unknown words and discuss the narrative. Young wrote her letter, which Ralph reviewed, and in December, she submitted it for the contest.
It was a good learning experience for both. “I had previously read the book, but I got a lot more out of it in the second time,” says Ralph.
Though Young didn’t win the challenge (she was a runner-up and attended the award ceremony), she held onto the idea as she continued to work with her tutor weekly. When December 2022 rolled around, she entered again. This time they read “Troublemaker” by John Cho.
And Young won the advanced writer category. As a result, she was invited to read her letter at a luncheon honoring the winners on Saturday, March 11, 2023. She attended with her family.
“Looking back, it’s really amazing,” says Young. “It was a very meaningful time for our family. I felt proud to have becom e a role model for my children.
“I am grateful to Ralph and Diana, who helped me get to where I am. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the staff at Bob Lucas Library and my teachers for helping me achieve my goals.”
So where does she go from here?
While she currently works full time for the DMH – as well as volunteering with her church and raising children – Young studies English on her own daily, reading articles and watching videos on YouTube. She also hopes to volunteer for the Bob Lucas Library program in the future, and she continues to work with Ralph on her next goal: to apply to school to become a licensed clinical social worker.
He looks forward to helping her. “Tutoring is such an interesting process,” says Ralph. “It’s a challenge to meet a learner where they are and to find materials they can relate to, a challenge I welcome.
“I’ve learned quite a bit about Korean culture, and the one-on-one transaction is pure teaching. It’s a very pleasurable experience.”
He hopes others in the community will volunteer to be tutors in the literacy program. “You don’t have to have a teaching background, just a sense of people. Enthusiasm, curiosity, patience, and a willingness to serve are a new tutor’s best qualities. Go in with patience and confidence and be attentive to the goals and objectives of the learner.”
Interested in Becoming a Tutor?
Tutors empower adult learners by teaching basic reading, writing and functional literacy skills. After completing a self-paced, online training module and being matched with a learner, tutors and learners meet 1 to 2 hours per meeting at least once a week at the library or other location based on their schedules. Tutors must commit to a minimum of six months.
Young believes the upcoming expansion of the Bob Lucas Library will help the program. “Conversation classes are mainly held at outdoor tables, and sometimes it is difficult to hear over the noise of passing cars. Additionally, during one-on-one tutoring sessions, it can be challenging to read aloud due to the consideration of others in the indoor space. I am very happy to hear that the library is planning to remodel,” she says.
Young also encourages other learners to join. “Bob Lucas Library has so many resources and programs that will change your life. If you try anything, you will find yourself one step closer to gaining a better life.”
Interested in Becoming a Learner?
All classes and materials offered through the Bob Lucas Memorial Library & Literacy Center programs are free. If you are interested in receiving one-on-one literacy tutoring, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, conversation club, or all three, please call 626-798-0833 extension 102, Monday through Friday, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. You can also fill out the form at www.altadenalibrary.org/literacy.
Bob Lucas Memorial Library adult learner Young Hwa Choi (center) displays her certificate for winning the Advanced Writer category in the Writer to Writer Challenge at the awards ceremony on Saturday, March 11. She won for her letter to author/actor John Cho after reading his novel, “Troublemaker.” She is joined (from left to right) by Bob Lucas Memorial Library Branch Manager Diana Wong, volunteer tutor Ralph Goldstein, Writer to Writer contest organizer Carrie Scott, Young, her husband Daniel Jung, and daughters Grace and Sarah.