Thousands of Arlington Heights residents from countless different cultures stop by the library every day to advance their English language studies and for one of these students, the library's English as a Second Language (ESL) services have paved the way towards a new career and beyond.
Olena Yarema moved from Ukraine to Arlington Heights in 2021, and she quickly began attending regularly held library programs including Beginning ESL, English Language Review, Tea & Talk, and Culture and Conversation. Yarema also utilized the library's one-on-one tutoring sessions. Her goal was to attend as many classes as she could.
"[The classes are good] because the teacher speaks with us, but the other good opportunity is that you can speak with each other...with the students," Yarema said. "You have to talk to people who may be in the same situation as you."
More than 7,000 participants attended the more than 600 programs held by the library's team of volunteers and staff in 2024. The ESL & Literacy Services team held an additional 5,144 hour-long one-on-one tutoring sessions.
After around two years of classes and tutoring, Yarema made a decision - she wanted to work at the library herself.
"I was a teacher at the university. I had a doctorate degree in Ukraine and my dream was to work at a library," Yarema said, later describing how library staff and volunteers helped her create a resume and prepare for job interviews. "I'm fond of reading, I'm fond of books, I like the smell of the books and also, I wanted to work with American people to improve my English."
In January 2023, Yarema was hired by the library and now works as a Materials Handling Assistant. Her journey with the library's ESL services doesn't end there though.
The library also offers helpful programs and resources for people interested in becoming U.S. citizens, including one-on-one citizenship interview practice sessions and a 10-week citizenship class that is held each summer in partnership with HIAS Immigration & Citizenship. Yarema had her eyes set on becoming a citizen and she officially achieved her goal in January 2025.
"Thanks to ESL, thanks to my tutor, I successfully passed my citizenship exam. And I can speak English," Yarema said. "I'm really happy to work here, to be a part of our library."
Learn more about the library's ESL & Literacy Services resources at ahml.info/services/esl.