Culture and connection

A listening ear, an encouraging voice, a safe space—for 40 years and counting the English Language Center (ELC) on TU’s campus has supported international students professionally and personally on their English language learning journey. The team in the ELC has helped thousands of students from more than 80 countries build their confidence speaking and writing in English and fostered cultural and financial literacy to set them up for further success in the U.S.—whether that be as an auditor at financial powerhouse Ernst and Young or a nursing student committed to improving the lives of others.

From the very beginning, the ELC staff has understood that culture and language are inextricably fused, and they have used that connection to guide their students to proficiency.

“For four decades, the ELC has empowered students to find their voices in English and their place in a global community,” says Lyle Nash, the center’s director.

Culture and language are inextricably fused 

Within the Intensive Academic English Program (IAEP) , students are placed into one of six English proficiency levels designed to develop skills for academic success. During their time at the center, they are immersed in reading comprehension, writing and public speaking courses and experiential learning.

Born in Amman, Jordan, and raised in Dubai, Ammar Alqatawi ’24 began his journey at TU in 2022 after moving to Maryland to pursue a graduate degree in accounting and business advisory. 

Knowing little to no English, Alqatawi ’24 joined the IAEP to prepare for graduate school in the College of Business and Economics (CBE). What he found was a community of academic, personal and professional support. Today, he is a financial auditor and halal coffee truck owner. 

“To understand a language, you need to understand the culture first. At the ELC, they involved us in U.S. culture as part of learning the [English] language and achieving the level of proficiency we needed,” Alqatawi says.  

Building confidence in their voice

The ELC's curriculum is designed to put the student and their learning goals first. Small, interactive classes, personalized tutoring and academic advising and dedicated faculty give students the support to practice and use English in a variety of environments.

Urmi Rajeshkumar Rathod ’23 learned a British English curriculum growing up in Gujarat, India before coming to TU in 2023 to pursue a career in nursing. Her focus was on learning American English used in academic, health and scientific settings. Rajeshkumar Rathod found it challenging.

But over the course of two semesters in the ELC, she developed the pronunciation, scientific writing and public speaking skills she needed to feel reassured by her progress and hopeful for the future. 

Rajeshkumar Rathod credits the grammar studies, reading studies and practice presentations she partook in with her success in entering Community College of Baltimore County’s nursing associate degree program. After she completes that program in fall 2026, she hopes to return to TU to complete her bachelor’s. 

The personal growth from the ELC helped me develop confidence and improve my pronunciation.

Urmi Rajeshkumar Rathod ’23

“If you met me when I arrived from India and began at the ELC, I was quite nervous,” she says. “Because although I knew how to speak English, I hadn’t interacted much with American English speakers and my confidence was much lower. The personal growth from the ELC helped me develop confidence and improve my pronunciation.”

Non-traditional learning enhances public speaking skills

The team in the ELC goes above and beyond to prepare students for careers, academia and life in the U.S. Professors like Jeff Hass have found that one of the best ways to engage students in learning English is by sharing culturally significant traditions and implementing cultural topic challenges. 

[The ELC] not just teaching you academic material. They’re teaching you practical real-life skills

Rajeshkumar Rathod

Occasionally, Hass puts together a box holding random topics listed on pieces of paper—ranging from sandwiches in Italy to nuclear weapons in Germany. His public speaking students select one from the box and speak about the topic with no preparation for 15–20 minutes in front of a group of native English speakers. 

“He was reinforcing to us that, ‘You have the right to stand and speak in public, and you cannot do that if you don’t practice.’ So the best way to do that was to practice with topics we knew nothing about,” Alqatawi says.

A lifelong impact: learning American cities

many complex cultural and travel systems American-born people use daily without a second thought are diligently and thoughtfully considered within the ELC. Its curriculum extends outside campus, involving social events, excursions and conversation partner programs that enhance cultural adjustment and language practice. 

“They’re not just teaching you academic material. They’re teaching you practical real-life skills,” Rajeshkumar Rathod says. 

She first used public transportation during an ELC-sponsored trip to Washington, D.C., just two months after arriving in Maryland, and Google Maps during an ensuing field trip to New York City.

I know how to use public transportation in the U.S. because of the ELC. For me, the ELC is a starting point of education in the U.S.

Rajeshkumar Rathod

“Coming from India alone, I had no idea how to get to Penn Station or how to purchase a ticket,” she says. “While other students knew how to use Google Maps to navigate, I had never used it in India. Dr. Nash was so worried about me that he always made sure to check in. In a way, he was like a father or grandfather away from home.”

Using ELC skills to secure a post-grad job

Alqatawi initially believed he would return to the UAE after earning his degree, but the skills he acquired and strengthened through the ELC and CBE propelled him into his current role with Ernst and Young. 

Since joining the company in early 2025, Alqatawi has supported clients like Shell PLC and Baltimore Gas and Electric with financial auditing services and has already begun to pay it forward to current Tigers by recruiting at CBE job fairs and open houses. 

“I am someone who came to this country and didn’t really know anything about it. Now I’m teaching the students from this country what to do and what not to do when it comes to building their resumes and their professional skills,” says Alqatawi. 

He even opened his own coffee truck where he sells coffee beans and drinks on weekends and caters halal events, including engagement ceremonies. 

“I never in my life expected to be an American citizen—to stay in America after I finished my degree,” he says. “But you have a plan, and God has a plan. When those things happened to me, I was grateful.”