Rufina Aleyeva (right) is delighted to reunite with her teacher, Ross Burningham, and her good friend and classmate, Anna Sobolksva.
“I was very nervous because I didn’t know what to expect in a new city, in a new country with a language that I don’t speak. Thankfully, I found Riverside Language School, which helped me a lot,” recalls Rufina Aleyeva, who arrived in New York City with her family in 2009.
Rufina grew up in a small city in Kazakhstan and studied foreign affairs at the Kazakh University of International Relations and World Languages, one of the leading universities in the country. Upon her arrival in New York, she and her brother enrolled in language courses at Riverside. Rufina was placed in Ross Burningham’s level 4 class. "I was shy to communicate with other people. I was scared that I would make a mistake and that people would laugh at me or not understand me. But day by day, by speaking with Ross and the other students, I gained my confidence and started to talk to everyone,” said Rufina.
“‘You have to practice. You have to read books and read the advertisements, even if you don’t understand anything. Just keep going,’” said Rufina, fondly remembering the advice he gave her. “And I listened to him."
Ten years later, Rufina is now a benefits navigator for NADAP, which provides healthcare enrollment assistance and other medical services to low-income New Yorkers. In this role, Rufina has come back to Riverside and is helping students access health insurance.
“I’m very thankful to Riverside for the opportunity to improve my English. Without Riverside, I also wouldn’t have found my best friend Anna, who is from Russia, and came as an immigrant as well. I’m glad that I can come back to help RIverside students with the health insurance enrollment, and have them practice their English with me,” said Rufina.