b
Feature
WedNEsdAy, N ovemòer I?, 2000
Clackamas student advances in
MAGGIE JIRASEK
Feature Co-Edit or
Konstantina Nikolopoulos,
“Tina” to her friends, credits
Clackamas’ English as a Sec
ond Language Department, and
Don Shula’s Tutorial Services
program, with a whole new di
rection in her life.
Nikolopoulos, born and
raised in Germany by a Greek
father and Kroatian mother,
came to the United States in
1999 for a vacation, but her
plans shifted when she visited
Portland, home to David
Medill, whom she had known
in Germany for almost 15 years
before his return to the States
in 1997.
“My plan was to travel
around for some time. I came
to the U.S. to visit an old friend
but then things happened and
we got married, so I decided to
start a new life here in Oregon,”
explained Nikolopoulos.
Not knowing the language,
or having friends besides
Medill, life was lonelier than
Nikolopoulos had imagined.
“I did not speak any English
and everything was new to me.
Soon I became very unhappy
and I got homesick,” she re-
called. “Most of the time, I was
just hiding in my apartment.”
Already proficient in both
German
and
Greek,
Nikolopoulos set out to learn
English. Home movies were a
big help, because she could
pause the video and her hus
band would translate for her.
Then Nikolopoulos heard
about the English as a Second
Language
program
at
Clackamas.
“I heard that they offer a spe-
"I want to moti
vate students
struggling as I
was struggling,"
Tina Nikolopoulos
student
cial program for people with
English as a second language.
I started in summer of 1999 but
before the term was over, I had
to go back to Germany for a
short period of time,” said
Nikolopoulos.
When returning to Oregon,
Nikolopoulos realized how
much she loved being part of
the ESL program and she re
turned to Clackamas.
“I kept on thinking about the
nice people here at Clackamas
and I wanted to improve my
English, so I came back and my
classes went even better,” said
Nikolopoulos.
Lori Hartill, ESL instructor,-
considers Nikolopoulos an as
set to her advanced reading
and writing class.
“Tina is really a joy to have'
in class, because she is very
well-read—and she’s not afraid
to speak out,” Hartill said.
While looking one day for the
German Club, Nikolopoulos
found instead German Instruc
tor Djck Stones. They visited,
speaking German together, and
Stones was so impressed with
Nikolopoulos’ literacy and Ger
man enunciation that he sug
gested she consider tutoring
his German language students.
Today, he could not be more
pleased.
“Tina has probably been the
most outgoing and available
tutor we’ve ever had,” he re
marked. “Her patience, her
friendly demeanor, her perky
personality and knowledge of
the German language makes her
an ideal tutor. The students re
ally like her.”
Much to the delight of Don
Shula, head of Tutorial Ser
vices
at
Clackamas,
Nikolopoulos has become a
very sought-after and dedi
cated tutor.
“I love being a tutor,” she re
TI je ClAckAMAs P rint
as she tutors German
MIKE POLLOCK / Clackamas Print
Tina Nikolopoulos, involved in the ESL program at Clackamas
and a German tutor, immigrated to the United States in 1999.
marked. “The tutoring program
at CCC provides students with
an alternative tool for learning
without any cost. Everybody
who needs help or just wants
to improve is eligible for a tu
tor. It’s also a great opportu
nity for people who enjoy help
ing others to become tutors. I
want to motivate students
struggling as 1 was struggling.
It is very, very hard to immi
grate into a different culture.
But as much as I love my stu
dents, there is a selfish reason
for tutoring. It improves my
language skills and I meet new,
interesting people. In my opin
ion, tutoring is one of the most
beneficial
programs
at
Clackamas.”
Both her instructors and her
students inspire Nikolopoulos
to continue on the path she has
discovered at Clackamas.
“After I’m done with the ESL
program, I would like to start work
ing on a degree in foreign lan
guages— and of course continue
tutoring German. I am thinking
about either working as a teacher
or a translator some day,” ex
plained Nikolopoulos. “I finally
found a way to settle down and
feel happy again and I would like
to thank everyone here at the col
lege who has helped me and made
such a great impact on my life.”
BIOLOGY . SECONDARY EDUCATION . MARKETING • SOCIAL STUDIES.
TOCUS ON YOUR CAREER
MIKE POLLOCK / Clackamas Print
I German club officers, front from left: Phil Harris (vice president,
| finance), Brian Petro (president). Back from left: Kara Meadows
■ (treasurer), Rebecca Baker (secretary), Rachel Shanks (vice
■ president, publicity).
¡German club raffles
¡dinner at Gustav's
I
I
I
Feature Co-Editor
I
I The German Club and its
I newly-named officers have be
I gun the new school year with a
I fundraiser/ticket raffle, for a $35
MAGGIE JIRASEK
■Gustav’s dinner, to help finance
I the club’s annual trip to Germany
Inext June.
I “Our major goal this year is to
| make sure that our funds provide
¡enough money to send our stu
dents to Germany next year,” re-
|marked Dick Stones, German in
structor.
I Every year, several fundraisers
Sand activities are organized by
"the German Club in order to help
■students visit Germany.
“We are doing two raffles for
■Gustav’s and we are selling ad-
Ivent calendars prior to Thanks-
Igiving,” said Stones. “In the
past, we have also done carl
washes, food sales and candy I
sales. Every student will earn]
money for himself or herself.”
Stones also plans to establish
an endowment fund to help stu
dents finance their travels and to
provide scholarships for lan
guage students.
“I want to help the students,JI
and I’m very excited about this I
year. I think our new officers are |
well prepared to promote our ac-1
tivities,” explained Stones.
Named as officers for the 2000-
01 school year are Brian Petro,
president; Phil Harris, vice presi
dent (finance); Rachel Shanks,
vice president (publicity); Kara
Meadows, treasurer and Rebecca ■
Baker, secretary.
For more information on howl
to purchase raffle tickets call I
Dick Stones at ext. 2392.
Concordia is an accredited
university recognized for quality
Personal attention is given to
make transfer as easy as possible
Most majors include mentors
and internships
Merit scholarships and financial
aid are available
Day and evening classes
Graduate with a resume as well as
a degree
CONNECT AT
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
2811 NE Holman St • Portland • Oregon ■ 97^0
1-800-321-9371
ww.cu-portland.edu
admissionsOcu-portlancL.edu