Donnelly College has evolved greatly since its 1949 founding. It has seen seven presidents, two campuses, thousands of students, program additions and more — yet the common bond tying the College together over all these years is the students served. They, too, have changed along with the institution itself, but their stories remain remarkable to faculty, staff and the broad community alike.
In these pages, get to know just a few of the College’s greatest assets: its students. They are the true faces of Donnelly.
BERLY ALVAREZ
Berly Alvarez did not like Kansas City when she first moved here from her native Guatemala. She struggled with communication and longed for home. Three years later, after quickly moving through Donnelly College’s English as a Second Language program, she can’t imagine living anywhere else.
When the rest of her family moved to Kansas City eight years prior to her arrival here, Alvarez was unable to join them due to her immigration status. Instead she stayed behind with her grandmother. She knew she wanted to go to college, and thanks to a generous scholarship and five years of hard work, she completed her business administration degree.
As soon as she legally could, her father urged her to join the rest of the family in the States. Reluctantly, Alvarez agreed, knowing she could use her degree to a greater capacity here. The catch? She spoke very little English.
After hearing about Donnelly’s beginner Community English as a Second Language (CESL) and more advanced English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses, Alvarez enrolled. She quickly passed through CESL, ready for the challenge of EAP. What she found surprised her.
“[EAP] is totally different: more homework, more responsibilities,” she says. “And my family played an important role in that, because they were pushing me. Like, ‘You can do it. Go for it.’”
Amongst the demands of schoolwork, Alvarez was homesick and mourning her stillborn child. She attributes the loss with her decision to stay in the US, where she later gave birth to a healthy daughter, Camila (now 3), whom Alvarez says is “everything” to her.
“The first reason I decided to learn English was because it was so frustrating for me to not be able to understand what other people say or communicate,” she explains. “I felt stupid.”
Yet her instructors see her as a motivated, hard-working student who raises the bar for her classmates.
“Berly came to us as a near absolute beginner, but as we have learned about her and her personality, she is determined to achieve her goals for herself and her family,” says Assistant Professor Eric Kolkmeier. “I have been so impressed with her persistence in all aspects of life.”
“Her confidence gives others confidence, and her graciousness is a calming influence,” adds Associate Professor and EAP/CESL Director Michelle Overholt.
Since moving to Kansas City and studying English at Donnelly, Alvarez has accomplished a lot. During her third level of ESL classes, she became a US citizen; her husband is a legal resident who plans
to pursue ESL courses himself. After translating at an immigration law firm this summer, Alvarez now juggles an entry-level accounting role at a real estate firm with her course load en route to furthering her career in the US.
“It is a challenge, because everybody there speaks English,” she says. “And the things I already know in Spanish, like accounting, I have to learn in English.”
No matter how much she may struggle to complete courses while balancing a job and raising Camila with her husband, Alverez said she stays strong with the support of her family.
“The most important thing is my family: my daughter, my husband,” she notes. “I want in the future that she can see what I did — how I fight for things that I really want.”
There is no question Alvarez has fought for years to better not only her life, but also those of her husband and daughter. And she credits Donnelly faculty and staff for welcoming her to the College and encouraging her along her journey.
“Donnelly has really nice people,” she says. “I feel like family here. When [faculty] see something strange in you, they ask you. They notice that you are different. That’s why I like Donnelly: because you feel like they care about you.”
ISABEL ALMARAZ ’12
Isabel Almaraz does not hesitate to name what she misses the most about Donnelly College: its small size and family atmosphere. As only the second person in her family to attend college behind her older brother, she says the supportive environment helped her succeed in the classroom.
Originally from Los Angeles, Almaraz is a 2012 Donnelly graduate who earned her Associate in Applied Science and now studies at University of Missouri- Kansas City, where she expects to graduate in May of 2016.
“I knew most of the professors [at Donnelly], and I knew most of the students,” she says. “I may not have talked to all of them, but I knew most of them. And it’s a big difference when you go to a bigger school.”
She began classes in the College’s Preparatory Education program, where her instructors encouraged her to live up to her potential.
“They pushed me,”she says. “They wouldn’t give up. Most people give up.... That was impressive.”
Although she says she loves UMKC now that she has adjusted to life on a much bigger campus, her transition — made possible through the Henry W. Bloch Scholarship — was challenging.
According to Almaraz, large class sizes “made it difficult to adapt,” even though she says her workload is roughly the same as at Donnelly. Soon after transferring to UMKC, Almaraz found herself struggling to ask enough questions and failing classes.
Instead of letting adversity drag her down, she used the difficulties as a personal challenge to rise to the occasion and succeed academically like she knew she could.
“I know I can’t afford to fail,” she says. “I was given a scholarship to do better, to strive, to do more. And it kind of hit me: I can’t just sit here and keep taking the same classes over and over.
“I’m going to do what I can to pass these classes. I’m going to ask for all the help I need.”
Help is a common theme in Almaraz’s life. She studies health science at UMKC and plans to attend nursing school after graduating.
“I’m going to combine both, because with the knowledge that I have from health science combined with the knowledge from nursing, I will be able to help more of the community,” she explains.
Since her family moved to Kansas City when she was 10, Almaraz says she has seen how much the metro has to offer and is eager to contribute her time and talents.
Almaraz, whose parents originally hail from Mexico, says her frequent visits to Mexico City and a service learning trip to Guatemala during her time at Donnelly spurred a desire to give back to the community.
“Any nonprofit volunteering that I can do, I want to do,” she says.
“Upon graduating in May, Almaraz plans to take the summer and fall to volunteer in neighborhoods struggling with childhood obesity and walkability while applying to nursing school — which she hopes to begin in January 2017. While her goals have developed over the years, Almaraz says the foundation of her beliefs and ambitions comes from Donnelly.
“I think Donnelly just made everything kind of smooth for me,” she notes. “Classes were hard when I came here, but it helped me want to keep going. I think it all started here. It made me who I am.”
PAING KWEE
When Paing Kwee and his family arrived in Kansas City from their native Burma, he knew he needed to improve his English.
“I had really bad speaking and understanding skills,” he says.
So when the pastor at his church recommended Donnelly’s English as a Second Language programs in 2013, Kwee enrolled. Starting at the Community English as a Second Language level, he has progressed greatly in his time so far at the College.
He describes his coursework as “really challenging, but I’m really happy because I have better English than before.”
Outside of classes, Kwee stays busy taking care of his 3- and 4-year old children while his wife works in packaging and production. According to Kwee, his children are quickly learning English; he plans to continue growing his English skills so he can give back. “My goal is to help my family and my community,” he explains.
Ultimately, Kwee hopes to own his own business and employ others from his community. With the work he already has done at Donnelly, his upbeat attitude and optimism, Kwee’s future looks bright.
Among the faces of Donnelly are Diego Payan, Josh-Lynn Bruce and Daniel Tygart, three of the student panelists from SHINE 2015.
DIEGO PAYAN
“Donnelly was one of the only doors that was open for me after I was knocking on
a lot of doors around the area. Donnelly College just showed me that there’s always someone who’s willing to open the door for education for you. And it was affordable for me, too.”
JOSH-LYNN BRUCE
“Donnelly has not only made it possible for me to go to school financially, but I’m the first one in my family to ever really consider school. Where I come from, they really don’t talk about anything past high school. Most of the people in my area don’t even graduate high school.”
DANIEL TYGART