VAL students Mashaer and Abbas have been making the news lately, having recently purchased Kismayo Kitchen, a beloved spot for Somali-inspired cuisine in Burlington’s Old North End. The entrepreneurial couple also owns the Sudanese Halal Market, which they opened in Winooski earlier this year.
Mashaer and Abbas first landed in Vermont four years ago, resettling here from Sudan. The biggest challenge for them as they settled in their new home was the language barrier. They were introduced to Vermont Adult Learning through the Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV) for support in developing their English language fluency.
“My experience with (VAL) has been excellent, particularly with my instructor, Brian Mahoney; he is a truly outstanding teacher, and I am deeply grateful to him,” Mashaer shared.
That sentiment was echoed by their instructor: “Working with Mashaer and Abbass was a pleasure for me,” Brian said of his students. “They are both highly motivated students and work really hard to improve their English. As Abbass’s English has improved, I have learned that he has a great sense of humor and is really funny. It has been a joy to be their teacher!”
“The (English Language Learning) program has greatly helped us understand the community and build connections,” Mashaer added. Those connections are something she credits with helping her and Abbas on their path to business ownership. “Working with VAL helped us get to know the community and open up to it, which was the most important step.”
When asked what she would want other multilingual learners to know about working with VAL, Mashaer had this to say: “I would like to advise other community members who have come here seeking better opportunities to keep learning, as education is undoubtedly the path to success.”