When Judy White retired from the federal government in 1995, she approached the ESL coordinator at Dulin United Methodist Church to inquire about serving as a teaching assistant.  She had taught high school English a number of years earlier.  And Dulin had started its ESL ministry around 1992 as a project of the United Methodist Women, with a group of retired schoolteachers as the volunteers.

In response to Judy's query, the coordinator said, "I have a better idea.  You could be the coordinator!"  The coordinator needed to step down, and although Judy wanted to teach, she gracefully agreed to coordinate the program so that it would continue.  (In fact, for the first 8 years as coordinator, Judy taught classes, too.)

Serving as a program coordinator has been a learning experience for Judy.  She enjoys interacting with the students, getting to know them, and learning about their lives.  "People have a lot of different customs and cultures but deep inside we're all alike; we want good lives for our children, our families and ourselves."  She also notes, "If you're friendly to people, they will be friendly to you."

Judy has experienced a surprise or two along the way.  This past spring, the end-of-semester party at Dulin coincided with Judy's birthday.  She didn't share that piece of information, but at the end of the party one of the volunteers announced it.  Her students sang "Happy Birthday" to her in Spanish, Korean, Arabic ... "and almost every other language in the world," she laughs.  Then the students continued to serenade her with other songs, too.  "It was the biggest birthday party in my whole life!" she says.