A Brazilian student in ESOL (English for Speakers in other Languages) has been inspiring her peers with her drive and commitment to learning at the age of 88.
Claudete Dall’Acqua lived in Curitiba, Brazil, for most of her life before moving to Europe with family in 2018, firstly to Italy and then to England, where she has lived for the past five years. With a lifelong interest in different dialects and languages, Claudete saw learning English as a way to keep her mind sharp and to meet new people from around the world. Although she is the oldest in her class, Claudete is an enthusiastic class participant and has developed her English skills significantly since starting an ESOL course at Southampton College in 2023.
Beth Drouet-Lewis, Claudete’s ESOL Lecturer, commented: “Claudete’s reading and writing is one of the strongest in the class and she’s been a fantastic role model to her fellow students, such as her desk mate, who coincidentally is the youngest student in the class. Stories like these really make you appreciate that it’s never too late to learn – Claudete is a true inspiration.”
Three generations of the Dall’Acqua family are currently studying in education, with Claudete enjoying support from her son and daughter-in-law at Southampton College as well as grandson John, who is studying Computer Science at university. John is full of admiration for his grandmother: “She is so active and loves to walk around college. It inspires me greatly to see what she is achieving at her age and I hope to be able to do the same at that age.”
Claudete has ambitions beyond her ESOL course, aiming to develop her English skills to the point where she can work in a charity shop.
When asked what advice she would give to older people who are interested in education, Claudete said: “Go and don’t be afraid to be happy. Age doesn’t have to be an excuse to be stuck and I’ve really enjoyed my time learning English at college.”
English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL) courses are designed to help international students gain the crucial reading, writing, listening and speaking skills to prosper in everyday life in the UK. For more information on our ESOL courses, please click here.
