On a weekday afternoon, students from all over the world gather in a classroom in Queens to learn English. Tomas Yucailla Cepeda has been attending since February 2022.

“It’s very, very important to learn English, and it’s for more opportunity to work, the jobs,” he told NY1 in English.

English for speakers of other languages is just one of the classes offered at the Adult Education School II in Long Island City, which also offers courses to help adults earn their GED certificates, learn computer skills or get professional certifications.

With the arrival of more than 100,000 migrants since last year, the English classes have been in high demand.

“This summer alone, we enrolled 2,600 students, and 80% of them were ESL students,” principal Olga Stewart-Nelson said.

That’s a significant increase for this school.

“It's like twice the number — usually we would serve about 1,300 students per summer, but this summer, we doubled that number,” Stewart-Nelson said.

The classes are free, offered on flexible schedules including nights and weekends, and open to all. They’re part of District 79, which offers alternatives to traditional school for students under 21, and adult education to students 21 and older.

“One of the things that we've heard is that people are afraid to come in because they are undocumented. The beauty of our program, it's free and open to all — so you don't need any documentation. You just have to have the will to want to learn,” Glenda Esperance, the superintendent of District 79, said.

Cepeda arrived in the city in 2021, from Ecuador. Speaking to NY1 in Spanish, he said friends told him they’d meet him here, but they did not come — so he arrived alone. His family in Ecuador sent money so he could rent a room. He looked for work and started taking these classes five days a week.

“I didn’t understand anything, but as days pass and with the effort I have put into it, it’s better, I’m improving,” he said.

It’s helped him find work in construction — and make friends.

“It has helped me so much, because it has opened doors for job opportunities. Also, I established relationships with other students from different countries,” he said.
He hopes to eventually earn his GED certificate, and maybe someday own his own company. But first, he says: English.

“There are many people who arrive with nothing, and I have gone to see them. I have told them, first go to school, learn English. English is the main thing, because it could open more opportunities for jobs or for whatever they need,” he said.

Adults who want to take one of the classes offered by District 79 can learn more online.