Originally from Guinea in West Africa, Houlaymatou was educated primarily in French, though, like many ESOL students, she is multilingual. She studied English for much of her life, but after returning to the US, her country of birth, building confidence in academic English and real-world communication took time. Through the ESOL Program, Houlaymatou found the structure and practice she needed, completing the program in just two semesters while beginning college-level coursework. Houlaymatou took the Co-Requisite English 1301 and ESOL Support Classes, offered jointly by the English and ESOL Departments. This can serve as an accelerated pathway for students to move directly from ESOL Level 3 into college credit classes, or as an extension of ESOL support for students who are TSI complete and ready to enroll in English 1301.

Houlaymatou describes her growth in English through the ESOL Program as practical and transformative. Moments from ESOL class carried over into her daily life, helping her move from understanding grammar rules in theory to using them naturally in conversation. She explains, “I remember the specific day I learned how to use ‘would’ and ‘could’ to ask people things politely, and it clicked immediately. Up until that point, those rules had only ever lived in my grammar books. But that day, I walked into work and used them naturally in conversation, and it worked. Those kinds of moments are what brought school concepts right home for me and showed me that what I was learning in class had real, everyday value.” In addition to enhancing her speaking skills, Houlaymatou says she greatly appreciates the strong foundation in academic writing she gained through ESOL classes, which continues to support her success in both general education and technical courses that demand extensive analysis and writing, including comparative essays, critiques, and research papers.

Houlaymatou’s academic journey reflects her clear sense of purpose. After earning her associate degree in Computer Science at ACC, she is now pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Software Development, one of ACC’s four-year programs, while balancing her studies with part-time work on the ACC Recruitment Team. Looking ahead, Houlaymatou hopes to become a software engineer in Educational Technology. She is driven by the belief that access to education can open doors for others. 

Outside of her academic work, Houlaymatou enjoys reading across a variety of genres. One of her favorite books is Dr. Katalin Karikó’s Breaking Through: My Life in Science. She spends time journaling, which she says has supported her English development. She enjoys visiting green spaces to reflect, take photos, and appreciate nature. Houlaymatou also has dreams of becoming a polyglot and plans to study both Spanish and Arabic. 

When asked about her message for current and future ESOL students, Houlaymatou responds, “Enjoy your time in the ESOL program. Embrace the diversity and the different backgrounds of the people in your class, the different languages, the different cultures, and let that be a moment where you discover new horizons. Without a doubt, some of my favorite memories from my time at ACC came from this program. For instance, it was during this time that I tried Turkish food for the first time and met people from parts of the world I had never encountered before. It was just so beautiful to feel the warmth and connection in our classrooms, despite our different backgrounds, all of us working toward the same goal of getting better at English. So enjoy this unique chapter of your learning journey 💜!”