When Matthew Sena and his wife arrived in the Denver area from Togo a year ago, he quickly found the African Leadership Group and the free English classes ALG offered to new migrants.
Matthew spoke a bit of English, but wanted to sharpen his language skills to help him “speak English correctly” and integrate more quickly into the culture. Based on an interview in late January, he has made great deal of progress.
Last fall, he also had the opportunity, with a group of other migrants, to tour The Emily Griffith Technical College on the edge of downtown Denver, to learn about certificate and degree programs that could help him fulfill his dream of getting into the medical field as a nurse.
“It was amazing to see their programs there as a group of immigrants, because we all felt it presented an opportunity, an opening to the American world for us,” Matthew said. “People felt they could realize their dream through (Emily Griffith).
Matthew is currently working as a stocker at a local Walmart, hoping to save enough money to enroll in classes soon. Emily Griffith offers a wide array of scholarships that could cover most of the costs, but there likely would be some at least initial out-of-pocket expenses.
Matthew and his wife left their infant daughter, now one, with his mother back in Togo. They hope that once they have a steady income they can bring her here.
