At University Settlement, we take pride in providing the best experience possible for each student. 

We hope learning with us will lead to bigger things for them. 

For this reason, it is encouraging when we receive positive feedback from current or former students. 

Here are reviews from two of our former students:

STEFANIA

Hi! My name is Stefania, and I am from Italy. I grew up on Sardinia, a wonderful island in the Mediterranean Sea by the way. But I lived and worked for many years in Milan. My whole career was in the Human Resources department. I was a payroll specialist in international companies, but I have never used English in my work. 

My husband and I moved to New York City in November 2020. I know we were in the middle of a world pandemic but what can I say?… We always had perfect timing! At the beginning it was hard. I spent a lot of time waiting for Covid cases to go down. Everything was closed or online. Fortunately English classes were online as well. I started studying in the Adult Literacy Program at University Settlement in September 2021, when English classes could come back in person. It was the moment that my English started improving!

Studying in person makes a real difference. In the Settlement school I found a great team. They are very supportive, they understand my feelings and encourage me to do my best. Since I guess sometimes people forget this, but in the workplace, in the schools, in every place it’s the people that make the difference. I took class every day from Monday to Thursday, I did my homework, I followed all the advice that they gave me! And after only four months, I felt more confident. I really appreciate the organization because they have a great method of teaching.

My teacher Diana is simply amazing! She is a professional and enthusiastic teacher. She pushes us every day to do something new to improve our speaking. She shares with us curiosities, idioms, experiences so helpful to better understand a new culture. Teaching, in my opinion, is not only a job–it is an attitude, and she is wonderful. 

At the same time University Settlement offers a lot of opportunities in other areas. For example, if you are interested in a new career or getting a job or volunteering or graduating from college, they can help you. My counselor Mayra is so prepared and supportive. This is very important because when you are an immigrant, you feel a little bit lost in a big city like New York, and usually you don’t know that there are so many opportunities to improve your language and your life! 

In January, Mayra suggested to me to take a course in Grace Institute, and I decided to try the entrance test. I passed my test and on February 2 I started my journey to Grace Institute! Is it difficult? Yes! Am I scared? Yes, every day, but it is a process and I feel so grateful that I have had this opportunity and that I have met University Settlement on my path.

FATOUMATA

I was born and raised in Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), a beautiful country in West Africa. I immigrated to the U.S. in 2018 with only a few words in my English vocabulary.

I was afraid to speak with people and avoided eye contact. I joined the University Settlement Adult Literacy Program in September 2020 and my English level took off for the better. By June 2021 I was free of fear of people. 

University Settlement accelerated my vocabulary, grammar and sentence building with a very pragmatic combination of book study and group conversation, all guided by very experienced, patient and dedicated teachers.