She welcomes the world

With a sunbeam of a smile, Acela Hernandez Paliotta greets immigrants in Texas.

A light seems to shine around Acela Hernandez Paliotta of Euless, Texas. Founder and director of the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District Welcome Center, she beams as she walks down the hall where immigrant children and adults are learning to become Americans.

Along this corridor, festooned with flags of many nations, ring the voices of teachers. After them come the murmuring responses of children as they learn English and rudimentary points of American law and culture.

This morning a polyglot group of immigrant adults, gathered in a reception room for coffee and pastries, greets Acela (A-sel-la) warmly. To many, she is a new friend in a strange land, ready with kind, encouraging words; quick laughter; and a helping hand. Acela and her center assist them in finding housing, clothing, furniture, and most importantly, work. She builds bridges that take them from being stranded immigrants to successful, taxpaying citizens.

"All of us are immigrants, so we know what it feels like," says Acela of herself and other members of her staff. "In America, we just open our doors to the oppressed."

Coming to the U.S.

Many in this reception room hail from either peaceful but poor countries or war-ravaged regions. They have come to America for the same reasons: for liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and life itself. The Welcome Center just gives them a head start in the new nation.

"When you find people who open doors, you feel better. You don't feel lonely anymore," says one young man from Peru. He nods at Acela and smiles. "I call her Mama Paliotta. She treats us like her children."

She Was an Immigrant Too

Acela's eyes sparkle with pride. "One man was afraid to apply for work because he felt he couldn't speak English," she recalls. "I said, 'You're going to be fine.' When he got work, he came here jumping up and down, saying, 'I got a job! I got a job!'"

Acela easily understands that man's growing confidence as well as his initial fright. Her family fled Cuba for Miami in 1962. She snuggled into the cocoon of the South Florida Cuban community, and for a while she didn't have to learn English or venture into other cultures.

When her father couldn't find work, however, the family moved to Oklahoma City. "I went through the process of learning English," Acela says. "My parents were frightened. They didn't understand the system. From my own experience, I'm now able to give back to these immigrants."

At the center, children from ages 7 to 18 study English so they can move into regular classrooms quickly. There, of course, their native-born classmates will enrich their vocabularies with Texas/Southern idioms such as "y'all" and "fixin' to."

Settling In

While adults take their own English classes, Acela and Diana Reyes, the center's parent/community liaison, help them settle into their new coun-try. Diana calls upon many nonprofit community organizations that assist families, providing things from medical services to clothing.

Until a few years ago, immigrants in this Fort Worth suburb had to fend for themselves. An English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor, Acela recognized their plight and urged the creation of this center. School superintendent Dr. Gene Buinger agreed, paved the way, and named her coordinator when it opened in 2000.

Along with running the Welcome Center, Acela performs myriad tasks. One young man was working late hours, then coming here and nodding off in class. Acela let him snooze in her office first before tackling his lessons.

"He worked all night," Acela recalls. "These kids have to work to provide for their families. I said, 'You can come and sleep here and then go to class.'" Acela laughs and adds, "But I didn't give him a bottle of warm milk." She pauses, then says, "We care for people. When you care for people, you don't mind doing all the various tasks."

The immigrants, however, see her as more than the coordinator of the Welcome Center. To them, she is America, a land with people full of love and laughter.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Aug 2003
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved