From our Alumni

I am very thankful for the opportunity that I had to do the TESOL program at Briercrest. It was great to be able to study TESOL classes along with Bible classes. The program offers a variety of classes that I felt prepared me for ministry both in Canada and other countries. I especially enjoyed my internship in Brazil, which allowed me to use what I had learned and gain experience teaching in another culture. I also enjoyed my experiences teaching in Canada and having a class full of students from all over the world. I have built relationships with people from so many places and have been able to share God's love with them in different ways, such as having them over to my place for international potlucks, inviting them to church events, playing sports with them, or just hanging out. One of the schools that I taught at was based out of a church, so I was able to offer weekly Bible studies. The students really opened up, and I was really encouraged by their growth and desire to know God. In 2004, I taught in Thailand at a Christian-based school that scheduled a time for daily devotionals and weekly chapels, and I saw God planting seeds and changing hearts.

Everywhere I go, whether in Canada or overseas, I always meet people who want to learn English. I am now with Wycliffe Bible Translators and am working in a village in Tanzania as a Scripture Use Worker. Because it is a need, part of my weekly schedule now includes teaching English four times a week. I am thankful for the training and experience that I have had because it is a bridge for building relationships and showing and sharing God's love.

Amy Wasylenka, Associate of Arts in TESOL (2003)

It's hard to put into a few words what this program has meant to me because it has meant so much, and God's just starting to use what I went to school for. Ever since I was a small child, I've always had a deep interest in culture, other countries and lands, and people. I love it. The TESOL program combined all of these things, and God confirmed my steps. I would describe the TESOL program (as it was, when I was at Briercrest) as hands-on. The TESOL program is totally practical, applicable, and relevant for our world today! The program equips people with real life, hands-on skills and tools that help people who are learning English, and it is one more avenue for building relationships with people to share and show Christ in action!

When I graduated three years ago, I wasn't sure how God would use what he had allowed me to obtain through my education ... [but] at the end of this month, I am taking an exploratory/preview trip to Madagascar to teach English for six weeks at a school and to see what the future might hold. God's timing for everything is exactly perfect and this opportunity...is part of his good plan! The TESOL program has certainly made me more aware of the world--its people, its problems, and the good things God is doing around the globe. Through the teaching practicums and a cross-cultural teaching internship, I met people who changed my life and perspective of the world--people with stories, backgrounds, and families so different and unique from my own.

I loved the TESOL program. I recommend it to anyone who would be interested.

Crystal Ross (2004)

I have always had a passion for teaching and traveling. When I graduated high school ten years ago, I would never have dreamed I would find a career that allows me to do both. I have always been fascinated by culture and language and feel so blessed to be able to be immersed in it every day as an ESL instructor. I became a Christian about two years before I enrolled at Briercrest, and I am so grateful that God led me there. I learned so much in the three and a half years that I was at Briercrest--things I am sure will follow me for a lifetime.

Amy Strauch (2008)