Student Turns Language Barriers Into Community 

Iliana Berdugo knows what it feels like to sit in a classroom and work twice as hard just to keep up. 

Learning nursing concepts is demanding for any student, but doing it in a second language adds an invisible layer of challenges that few people see. For Iliana, that adversity didn’t just shape how she learned. It sparked an idea that would eventually help others find their footing too. 

Her journey to that moment began with an unexpected detour. 

Iliana was just two years away from becoming a doctor in her native Colombia when she flew to the U.S. for a wedding. It was supposed to be a brief celebration — a temporary pause before her final stretch of medical school. Then the world stopped. As COVID-19 shuttered borders and grounded flights, a short family visit transformed into an open-ended exile.  

After six months of hoping to return, Iliana realized her path had shifted. To find purpose in the waiting, Iliana enrolled in English classes at a local community college. But while she was building a new vocabulary, she suffered a devastating loss — her grandfather passed away from the very virus that had grounded her. At just 21, facing the prospect of returning to her country alone, Iliana chose to stay with her family in Kentucky and forge a new path in the States. 

She explored ways to continue medical school in the U.S. but found the process complex. Through conversations with a friend, she learned about the option to become a nurse practitioner instead. The first step would be to become a registered nurse. As she researched nursing programs, Galen College of Nursing’s Louisville campus stood out. The close-knit environment and smaller class sizes drew her in. From the start, she said, it “felt like home.” 

Although Iliana spoke conversational English, she quickly realized that mastering complex nursing concepts in a second language presented a much steeper mountain to climb. She was often the only student in class whose primary language wasn’t English. 

Instructors provided support and resources, but Iliana recognized that some aspects of learning in another language are invisible to native speakers. So she took ownership of her success and “found her own way to learn.” 

As she developed strategies that worked for her, she began to notice something important. The tools she was building for herself were exactly what her peers needed to thrive. What began as a personal survival kit was becoming a blueprint for others. 

Her first opportunity came through a peer mentor group where students reviewed study strategies and shared tips. That experience confirmed what she was beginning to sense: she had both the drive and the ability to help others navigate similar challenges. 

Then one day in the campus cafeteria, she overheard a group of students speaking Spanish. She introduced herself and learned they were Cuban students who had transferred from one of Galen’s Florida campuses. The conversation stayed with her. The more she reflected on her own experience, the clearer it became that other students were navigating the same quiet obstacles. 

In that moment, an idea began to take shape: a peer mentorship group specifically for students whose first language isn’t English. 

Iliana shared her vision with Program Director Melissa Dmitri, who supported the idea and encouraged her to be thoughtful about balancing the group with the demands of her final quarters of nursing school. 

More than that, she felt a pull to help other students through their journeys. “My heart told me I could do this,” she said. “I felt like this was my calling.” 

The ESL group held its first meeting near the beginning of this quarter on January 13, 2026. Since then, members have met weekly in an open forum to talk through curriculum challenges, clarify concepts, and support one another. 

What started as a small study circle has blossomed into a diverse community of 12. From Spanish speakers to a student originally from Africa, the group is a testament to the fact that the ‘language of nursing’ is universal. No matter where they started, these students agree: there is a unique power in deconstructing difficult lessons with peers who understand exactly how high the hurdles can be. 

As the group grew, so did conversations with faculty and leadership at Galen. Iliana has met with both instructors and administrators to share ideas for making nursing education more accessible for ESL students — and she says the response has been overwhelmingly supportive. 

She spoke with Med-Surg instructor Mrs. Polly, who has been highly engaged and intentional about listening. Together, they discussed practical ways to support ESL learners, including incorporating videos with subtitles in multiple languages, developing unit-based vocabulary lists, and having an enrichment instructor available to help explain complex topics students commonly struggle with. They also talked about the importance of offering one-on-one meetings with professors after class to ensure understanding, and being mindful of reducing the use of slang that may unintentionally create confusion. 

Iliana also shared these ideas with Laura White, Director of Academic Program Management. Their conversations included strategies such as using Kahoots or quizzes available in multiple languages, along with pre-recorded videos explaining challenging concepts that students could revisit as needed. 

For Iliana, these conversations reinforced that she wasn’t working alone. “I’ve had conversations with instructors and leadership, and they’ve shown great interest and support for the ESL group,” she said. “It means a lot to know Galen is open to these ideas and wants to help students succeed.” 

The challenges ESL students face vary widely. Iliana explains that a concept that feels straightforward in Spanish might take three or four reviews in English before it fully ‘clicks’. It’s not the material itself that’s difficult, but the added step of translating complex terminology while trying to keep pace with the class.  

And that added layer does not disappear once lectures end. Exams bring their own stress. Clinical settings introduce new pressures. 

One student shared that they were afraid to ask questions in class, worried the answers might seem obvious to fluent English speakers. Another hesitated to ask an instructor what a word on an exam meant, concerned it could be misinterpreted as cheating rather than clarification. Others feel confident with written exams but anxious in clinical environments, fearing they might miss instructions while mentally translating. 

For these students, constantly translating lectures, conversations, and reading material is mentally draining. The weekly group meetings offer something just as important as academic support: a chance to breathe. 

That understanding shapes how Iliana approaches supporting her peers. She begins by identifying each student’s learning style, knowing firsthand that language can change how someone absorbs information. 

“I’m usually a kinesthetic learner, but in English I’m more of a visual learner because it’s easier to have images to refer to when learning new vocabulary,” she explained. She believes this shift is common among ESL students. 

Now in her final quarter, Iliana is set to graduate in April. While she wishes the group had started earlier in her time at Galen, she is focused on building something that will continue growing long after she walks across the stage. 

She envisions online content enrichment available to ESL students across Galen’s campuses nationwide. Resources like short explainer videos and modules in other languages, she says, would make a significant difference. 

“Online content enrichment is really helpful for non-native English speakers because we can go back and listen to it a few times if we need.” 

She hopes to see a full repository of ESL-friendly resources college-wide, along with a Spanish-speaking content enrichment specialist who could host open office hours in person or virtually. 

For students at other campuses who may need similar support, Iliana encourages them to reach out to their instructors or program directors. She also says they’re welcome to contact her directly at iliana.berdugo@nursing.galencollege.edu. “I would be more than happy to help guide and support them in any way I can,” she said. 

At the heart of this effort is something deeper than academics. For Iliana, the group represents community, courage, and connection. 

“Being part of this means so much to me because I see the stories, the sacrifices, and the courage behind every ESL student,” Iliana said. “I see people who have left so much behind, yet continue to show up with strength, resilience, and hope. In the midst of our nursing journey, this group is a reminder that we are not alone, that we can still feel a little closer to home.” 

What began as one student working twice as hard to keep up has become a space where others no longer have to navigate that extra weight alone. 

And in doing so, she’s making sure that at Galen, home isn’t defined by geography or even language — it’s defined by community. 

For students at Galen’s Louisville campus who may be navigating nursing education in a second language, joining the ESL group is simple and open to everyone. 

Students can stay connected, receive updates, and participate beyond weekly meetings by joining the group’s GroupMe. Members can ask questions, share resources, and stay engaged even if they’re unable to attend every session in person. 

Louisville ESL Group Details: 

Disclaimer: Galen College of Nursing and Campus Engagement officially recognize and support only the following four sanctioned student organizations: Student Ambassadors, the Student Advisory Council (SAC), the Galen Student Nurses Association (GSNA), and the Veterans Association. Any other student-created groups are not sponsored, endorsed, or supported by Galen College of Nursing or Campus Engagement and operate solely at the discretion and responsibility of the students who establish them.