OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – UNO student Natalia Macias told 6News she learned a lot of new things this summer.
“I improved my English and met people from all over the world and expanded my network,” Macias said.
She is participating in ILUNO, UNO's English language learning program, which consists of six sessions each year for those who want to improve their language skills for personal, academic or professional reasons.
“Then I heard I could get a master's degree here, and that's what I want to do in the future,” Macias said.
The program continues to grow, opening doors of opportunity for people like Macias.
Permanent resident enrollment was 14 percent for the 2023-2024 academic year, a 7 percent increase from the previous academic year, according to UNO data.
“They're in the community, they may be refugees, they may have family members working in the community,” said Emily Hasenstab, director of international programs at the U.N. “Maybe their other family members go to school here and they want to be fluent in English.”
UNO is seeing an increase in students studying abroad and coming to Omaha to learn English before returning home.
“We have refugees from Syria, Sudan, Congo, Myanmar and Côte d'Ivoire,” Hasenstab said, “and we also have local participants of various nationalities, including Chinese and Koreans.”
Students in the program come from at least 25 countries, and ILUNO continues to grow to keep up with demand, Hasenstab said.
“We have a very qualified team of teachers to teach English, so there is no problem in teaching,” Hasenstab said.
Hasenstab expects even more students to enroll this school year and said, like Macias, she is ready to keep learning.
“I know that in the future there will be more opportunities to learn English,” Macias said.
Copyright 2024 WOWT. All rights reserved.