UKIAH – A new program started by the Mendocino College Foundation is providing financial assistance for books to English as Second Language (ESL) students, and the foundation is seeking additional funding to benefit more students.

With donations from the Ukiah Branch of the American Association for University Women (AAUW), the ESL Book Award program began in fall 2011.

The AAUW and the Sons of Italy, Ukiah, have agreed to donate funds to continue the program in the fall of this year.

“Thanks to the generosity of these two groups, we are able to provide the awards in the form of book awards to the students in our ESL program,” says Katie Wojcieszak, executive director of the Mendocino College Foundation. “The number of students in the program is growing each year, and we would like to be able to give an award to each student to help with the expense of buying books and dictionaries.”

The foundation has had a similar program, the Yvonne Sligh Book Awards, in place for several years.

This academic year marks the first time additional donations made awards available specifically for ESL students.

Because many ESL students are noncredit students, they are not eligible for the Yvonne Sligh Book Award or other types of Mendocino College scholarships.

This award is filling a need by supporting students in a very practical way, said Wojcieszak.

The ESL Book Awards went to six deserving students in the fall semester, the executive director noted.

The recipients were Rafael Bernabe, Laura Vicencio, Fidel Tapia Hernandez, Juan Manuel Martinez, Marcela Gomez and Elena Plancarte.

Five more equally deserving students earned the award in the spring semester, Wojcieszak said.

They were Claudia Galinda, Eric Leon, Joel Hernandez, Juan Mateo and Martha Mosqueda.

“We would like to increase the number of awards with upcoming semesters. We welcome donations from businesses, organizations, and individuals to help us achieve that goal,” said Wojcieszak.

Mendocino College offers ESL classes at multiple locations and at all levels, from beginning to advanced.

Designed to meet needs of the Lake and Mendocino communities, the ESL program serves hundreds of students in Ukiah, Willits and Lake County.

Courses are offered during the day and in the evening and are open to anyone.

In January, for the current semester, the college offered a new ESL and Auto Mechanics course in addition to the existing ESL courses.

The collaboration between ESL and the Automotive programs is designed to give ESL students an introduction to mechanics and the English skills needed.

“Our ESL program is good for our students and for our communities. We are training an important segment of our workforce, providing them with the language skills they need to be successful in their lives,” said Sarah Walsh, full-time ESL instructor at the college.

For information regarding the ESL Book Award Program or about making a donation, call the Mendocino College Foundation office at 707-467-1018 or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .