BCNC Portraits: Aster, AmeriCorps Volunteer

Aster is an AmeriCorps volunteer at BCNC’s Quincy Adult Education program. She has taught ESOL language conversation, citizenship, and English for accounting classes, and also advises adult students in Quincy.

Immigration is a topic close to Aster’s heart: her parents immigrated 30 years ago and she herself grew up in Hong Kong. Her favorite places in Chinatown are the bakeries that remind her of her childhood.

Aster shares about her future goals: “COVID fast-tracked my law school plans. Through my time at BCNC, I was exposed to a lot more struggles that immigrants experience, and it expanded my ideas about going into immigration law.”

Currently, Aster enjoys her time teaching students. “It was nerve-wracking at the beginning because BCNC was completely virtual. But now I’m seeing silent students come out of their shell! And my favorite moment is when I hear a student make a joke [in English] because it shows a deeper understanding of the language.”