Kathy’s Story: Skills for Success

Today we are delighted to introduce you to Kathy, a student enrolled in Zoe’s Level 3 English class at Prace. Kathy experienced first-hand how skills cultivated in one setting can be used in another to great success. While enrolled at Prace, Kathy was undertaking a digital marketing course at RMIT. With the increased confidence Kathy gained in her English class at Prace as well as the presentation techniques she learnt, she achieved a perfect score of 5/5 on her presentation at RMIT.

Read Kathy’s account of her experience here:

Six weeks ago, I embarked on the digital Marketing Course funded by the Victorian Government, with a mere 15% acceptance rate. Despite my background in accounting and statistics, this new field, coupled with the challenge of learning in a second language, presented a unique journey. As I delved into the course, successfully completing the first two milestones of Marketing Analytics and Insights, a daunting final case awaited- presentation to business owners, CEO’s and CMOs as a company analyst. 

Though I managed to create a compelling PowerPoint, my awareness of my pronunciation issues led me to seek assistance from my English teacher, Zoe. With great enthusiasm, she meticulously annotated my speech, pointing out errors such as the distinction between long and short vowel sounds and habitual consonant omissions. Returning home, I diligently practiced for hours, syncing my voice to PowerPoint until my facial ached.

The next day after school, Zoe graciously corrected additional errors based on my practice. Knowing Zoe juggled personal challenges, including aging and ailing parents, made her unwavering support even more touching. When submitting the assignment, I jokingly informed my RMIT tutor Jack about my laborious process: “I painstakingly recorded it slide by slide using PowerPoint and then exported it as an MP4 file. It took ages and I’m now convinced that becoming a voice actor is not in my immediate future! “In the end Jack’s Assessment reflected the effort, granting an excellent job! “You covered all the points quite well and showed that you are comfortable performing the analysis”, earning me a perfect score of 5.

This whole journey not only taught me a lot about digital marketing but also reminded me that asking for help is crucial. Plus, Zoe’s tips about easy presentation formats and techniques played a big role in my success. To sum it up, having mentors like Zoe boosts my confidence as I tackle language learning and fit into Aussie society. 

–Yi (aka Kathy)

Find out more about Prace’s English as an Additional Language (EAL) courses here.