Skip to main content

IINE’s offices close on Tuesday, December 24 at noon and reopen at 9 am on Thursday, January 2. We look forward to seeing you in the new year!

Author: Jeff Thielman

Congratulations to Our First Graduating Class: Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

Congratulations to Our First Graduating Class: Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Community Partners, Employment Support, Lowell.

There was a standing ovation and some tears of joy this week as seven immigrant women became the first graduating class of IINE’s newest Skills Training Course. The Creating New Avenues for Success (“CNA for Success “) program is a specialized workforce development course designed for immigrants seeking careers in the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) field. A new collaboration between IINE’s Lowell office, Middlesex Community College, Abisi Adult Education, and eldercare services provider D’Youville Life & Wellness Community, this week’s graduation marked the successful completion of the inaugural term.

The graduation ceremony was held in the stained glass chapel at D’Youville, just a few yards away from the training classrooms where the CNA students had spent the previous 16 weeks. Speakers included Jeannine Durkin, Acting Superintendent of Schools for the City of Lowell, D’Youville President & CEO Naomi Prendergast, and Phil Sission, VP at Middlesex Community College. IINE’s CEO, Jeff Thielman, thanked all the organizations that collaborated to make the course possible, and congratulated the seven graduates on their accomplishment.

“We are proud to be here as you launch a new career and embark on a new chapter in your lives,” he said. “You have worked very hard to get to this point.”

The graduates are Lowell-area residents who are all fairly recent arrivals to the U.S. from: Mexico, Dominican Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Brazil, Uganda, and Nepal. Among the class was one set of sisters, and a tenacious new mom who delivered her baby the same week she graduated from the program!

The course is comprised of several modules that dovetail English classes, and involves IINE providing contextualized English language instruction, soft-skills training and workforce- readiness training; Middlesex Community College providing a Certified Nursing Aide (CNA) module; and D’Youville providing guaranteed job-placement for graduates earning the CNA credential.

Student speakers Anabel Peralta and Sandra Kalambayi thanked their instructors and their families for the support each student received. Other students made note of how they expect the conclusion of this course to be only the beginning of a new career.

“When I came in Lowell, in my mind I had one thing: I want to study. I want to be somebody,” graduate Christelle Kalambayi said recently. “Now I want to go further. I don’t want to stop with a CNA. I want to go and to learn more to be an LPN or RN!”

Enrollment begins next week for a new group of students who will start their CNA classes in June. More information can be found online at: https://iine.org/learnlowell.

Thank You for Celebrating International Women's Day With IINE

Thank You for Celebrating International Women’s Day With IINE

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Events.

Thanks to the generosity of all our event sponsors, more than $130,000 was raised for IINE programs. We are very grateful to our gracious honorees, all who attended, and to the many corporate and individual sponsors who made significant contributions.

Boston City Council President Andrea J. Campbell kicked off the lunchtime speaking program with a hopeful message of solidarity, and a challenge to those in the room to do more to make Boston a welcoming city where immigrants can thrive.

The highlight of the day was the panel discussion moderated by 7News Anchor Amaka Ubaka. Amaka brought out the best from our fascinating trio of honorees: Monica Grewal, Pardis Sabeti, and Christina Qi, who were forthright about their personal and professional experience.

Humble and inspiring, they lifted the conversation into a true celebration of the spirit of immigrant women. Each spoke about the challenges she faced, and shared stories – some of them humorous – about times when they have been underestimated as a woman, and as an immigrant, and about how growing up in an immigrant family influenced their outlook on life.

Christina Qi, who emigrated with her parents from China when she was a child, told a story that sounded familiar to many in the room. She said she used to beg her mother to cook chicken nuggets, like all the other “American” kids, since her schoolmates would tease her about the traditional Chinese food on offer at her home.

“And today,” she said, “my friends eat Chinese food all the time. They’re Instagramming their plates!”

She said the evolution in her immigrant pride was not restricted to cuisine, but it impacts her approach to work, to risk, and to promoting herself in a field dominated by men – a challenge all the honorees had in common.

The themes of the day resonated throughout the audience as well, as all of the honorees reflected on the ways that being an immigrant in today’s world has made them value their upbringing and how the lessons they learned that are unique to the immigrant experience.

Guest speaker Yari Golden-Castaño shared the story of the women in her life who gave her wings to fly all the way to the stars. Majda Hennani, a current ESOL student at IINE-Boston spoke movingly about her own immigration experience and how learning English has given her a new outlook.

IINE employee Sofie Suter, manager of our Boston-based Unaccompanied Minor program that reunifies children from Central America with their family members in the U.S., explained to the audience how current federal policy impacts mothers who are separated from their children.

“As a new mom, I am always impressed by the strength, resilience, and perseverance the children and their families show in the face of great obstacles,” she said.

Ten Minutes from Home, A World Away

Ten Minutes from Home, A World Away

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Community Partners, Manchester, Volunteer.

When Jordan, a senior at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH, signed up for a “Winter Break Community Service” trip through the college’s Campus Ministry office, she said she was surprised to learn her service assignment was not in a far-flung region of the country. It wasn’t even in a different state. Her placement was for… Manchester, NH.  As a student living in the city already, she was worried she might miss the cultural experiences of other students who would be traveling to different parts of the country. Despite her initial misgivings, she said she chose to keep an open mind.

“Little did I know that this ten-minute drive would feel worlds away from home,” she said.

For six days, Jordan worked alongside immigrants and refugees in Manchester as a volunteer at IINE. She was part of a 10-student team from St. Anselm’s that helped insulate the windows in twelve homes of recently resettled refugee families. Her team also took part in an after-school program for immigrant children.

According to Jordan, however, the most daunting task of the service trip was leading a beginner-level class of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Most of the adult students had been in the United States for only one month and spoke little or no English. She said she had many doubts about her own abilities, and questioned how she would communicate in spite of the language barrier, as well as whether or not she would be able to relate to the immigrant community.

Once in the classroom, Jordan said she quickly realized that she was learning much more than she was teaching. In spite of significant life transitions and the overwhelming challenges of learning the English language, her students demonstrated a kindness and compassion that she didn’t expect.

“Even when they repeatedly did not understand something, they smiled through their frustration,” she said. “My time spent in the classroom almost made me forget the reality of their situation. These people taught me more about life than any amount of English I could have taught them in those 90 minutes.”

Since 1980, Manchester has been one of New Hampshire’s refugee resettlement sites as part of a program created by the Federal Refugee Act. Today, immigrants and refugees comprise more than 13 percent of the city’s population. The International Institute of New England provides an array of support services to help refugees and immigrants successfully transition into their new lives in the United States. Services include job training, English language classes, and legal aid services.

Riley Casey, a campus minister at Saint Anselm College, said volunteering with IINE can be a transformational experience for students.

“Partnering with IINE allows our students to go beyond our campus to see a new perspective of Manchester and realize the home of their college is also the home to so many individuals and families from different backgrounds,” she said. “When [they] take the time to meet residents and hear their stories, they often return to campus with new insight into their own lives.”

IINE’s Community Relations Manager in Manchester is Shannon St. Pierre. She said the team of students from St. Anselm’s had a significant impact on the IINE clients they engaged.

“We are so grateful to the students who chose to share their vacation time helping others,” Shannon said. “Our students and clients really connected with the St. Anselm’s team, and I think it was a mutually beneficial program for everyone!”

For Jordan, volunteering with IINE was an experience that changed how she viewed herself and the world around her.

“My [only] regret was that I initially doubted myself – that I would not succeed in communicating with the refugee/immigrant population, working around language barriers, and relating to kids that did not grow up in the way I was fortunate enough to,” she said.  “I am forever grateful for that short ten-minute drive down the road, because it introduced me to a community that I did not know existed in Manchester that has changed my life.”

Francisco’s Story

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Client Stories, Legal.

The International Institute’s engagement with “clients” often spans many years, beginning when we welcome new arrivals at the airport and continuing through intensive case management, English classes, job training and placement, and legal services. We are privileged to be part of our clients’ lives at many different points during their integration journeys.

Not long ago, we got to know a young man from El Salvador named Francisco. His soft-spoken and thoughtful demeanor gives no hint to the intimidation and violence he endured in his home country. In El Salvador, Francisco dreamed of attending college and tried to focus on his high school classes, but found himself targeted by local gangs.

“I studied, but it was very hard for me,” Francisco said. “I was being assaulted every day. I was constantly being threatened —- they demanded that my family pay them money.”

After gang members attempted to kidnap him, Francisco sought help from his father, who was living in Massachusetts. Like all Central American families we help to reunify, Francisco and his father saw a move to the U.S. as their only hope for Francisco’s safety and security. His dad immediately applied to have his son admitted to the United States for refugee resettlement.

In February 2017, Francisco was relieved to be notified that his application had been approved. Given 24 hours’ notice, he flew to the U.S. the next day, with the International Institute handling his case and helping him settle with his father north of Boston.

“The hardest part of being an immigrant is leaving your family, everything you know,” Francisco said. “I have to keep moving, but without forgetting what I left behind.”

The International Institute’s staff enrolled Francisco in our English classes and employment services program, and helped him secure his first job in the U.S. We provided cultural orientation, and helped him strategize about how to achieve his long-term goals.

Francisco didn’t speak a word of English when he arrived in the U.S., but he never gave up on his dream of studying graphic design in college. In addition to providing him with English instruction, IINE helped him enroll in a nearby college readiness program. Francisco recently passed the language requirement exam and is excited to start attending Bunker Hill Community College.

Over this last year, IINE’s Legal Immigration Forms Service team helped Francisco apply for a green card and guided him through the complex process of becoming a permanent U.S. resident. Francisco received his green card in October.

“I am very thankful to the International Institute,” Francisco said, “because from the very beginning when I arrived in this country, they supported me.”

Emma Lazarus’s poem at the base of the Statue of Liberty implores us as a nation to open our doors to those seeking refuge on our borders: “Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” IINE has been putting these words into action since 1918, serving as a guiding light for tens of thousands of New Americans.

“This year, being in the United States, I’ve learned a lot,” Francisco explained. “I learned how to live my life without being frightened of the people around me, thinking that they will hurt me. Because that’s how I lived in my country. I am very happy because I received a lot of help in the United States that I could never have imagined before.”

IINE seeking public help in identifying 100 influential Lowellians

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Lowell.

LOWELL – To mark 100 years of serving newcomers to Lowell, the International Institute of New England (IINE) will honor 100 Lowellians who have influenced, led, and been part of Lowell’s vibrant immigrant community.

“Since our founding in 1918, the people of Lowell have been our partners in resettling, educating, and welcoming newcomers to the city,” IINE CEO Jeff Thielman said. “In turn, immigrants and new Americans have been an integral part of Lowell’s growth and history. They have shaped the city’s history, people, and personality.”

As part of the centennial celebration, IINE is inviting the Greater Lowell community to help identify 100 of the most admirable leaders from Lowell’s immigrant community who have made achievements in their fields, as well as locally born Lowellians who have supported immigrants and immigrant issues. Anyone from the community may nominate people they think deserve to be recognized, and those selected will be honored at a public gala at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium on May 1, 2019. The deadline for honoree nominations is December 31, 2019.

A group of women from Lowell and the surrounding area founded the International Institute of New England (IINE) in 1918. They banded together in response to rising nationalism in the USA following WWI. Originally, the IINE welcomed refugees who arrive by boat and help them with housing, employment, and language training.

Today, much of that same work continues. IINE representatives greet new arrivals at the airport, secure their housing with local landlords, and set them on a fast-paced 90 day route to self-sufficiency. Immigrants who are not refugees participate in IINE’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes, job-training programs, and legal services. Each year, IINE serves 2,000 people in Lowell, Boston, and Manchester, NH. The organization’s century of service will be celebrated in the city where it all began.

“To my knowledge, no attempt has ever been made to honor 100 Lowellians in this fashion,” Dr. Robert Forrant said. He is a professor in the History department at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and a local history expert helping IINE delve into its own archives and others to present a topical examination of the legacy of immigration in Lowell.

“In such an inclusive way, to review the city’s history and come up with an honor roll of 100 immigrants and refugees who have helped to vitalize the city is a big undertaking,” he said. “But one worthy of the impact the honorees will have made on the city.”

Nominations will be accepted through December 31 at the “Lowell 100” webpage: www.iine.org/100.

The final list of honorees will be determined by a volunteer committee drawn from the Lowell community, with input from local historians and the International Institute of New England.

Honorees will be announced in March, and a public celebration honoring the Lowell 100 (and their descendants) will take place on Wednesday, May 1 at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. For more information, contact IINE at events@iine.org or 978.459.9031.

Unaccompanied Minor Program

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Unaccompanied Children's Program.

The International Institute of New England provides unaccompanied minor children and their families reunifying support services in the United States. Many migrant families travel to the U.S. border together, but very often minors travel alone, separated from families members in their home countries and crossing the U.S. border seeking safety and reunification.  Minors often travel 2,500 miles from El Salvador, Guatemala or Honduras to the U.S. border fleeing life-threatening experiences of violence, deprivation and abuse.  IINE works with children ages 2-18 who come to the U.S. to be safe and build a life that allows for study, work contribution, and peace.

Here are some key facts about how our locally-based program helps reunite separated families from Central America.

  1. IINE provides a local response to the ongoing and escalating family reunification crisis at the border.
  2. Separation of families at the border is a new and controversial tactic; for years the U.S. has funded providers such as IINE to support professional services for displaced and reunifying children in need of international protection.
  3. IINE works with Northern Triangle (Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala) families with children ages 2-18 who have migrated to the U.S. fleeing life-threatening experiences of violence, deprivation and abuse perpetrated mainly by organized armed criminal actors.
  4. IINE represents the best of U.S. federal programming that for years has funded family support and reunification support services.
  5. Many children crossing into the U.S. are already separated from their parents and are fleeing their native countries unaccompanied. IINE provides professional placement assessment to ensure safe reunification and follow up case management services delivered by licensed social workers who support children reunifying with caregivers.
  6. IINE services are limited only by funding. Federal funds do not fully cover even two IINE social workers who provide critical child and family focused support. We seek additional and sustainable private funding to join a recent gift from the Cabot Foundation and support our growing caseloads.
  7. IINE’s professional family reunification services includes home safety assessment and the post-release services of safety planning, connection to health care, connection to therapy and trauma resources, enrollment in school and referral to family support resources.

A million reasons to celebrate: Golden Door Award Gala

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Events.

Thank you for being part of an historic night. IINE’s 37th Golden Door Award Gala honoring Dr. Rafael Reif, the president of MIT, was a success because of you.

Nearly 700 people from all across the globe gathered Thursday evening in the ballroom at the InterContinental Hotel to celebrate the leadership of Dr. Reif and the international community of MIT.  In his speech to the gathering, President Reif reflected on the continuous need for renewal and innovation in American life.

“As I have discovered through 40 years in academia, the hidden strength of a university is that every fall, it is refreshed by a new tide of students.  I am equally convinced that the genius of America is that it is continually refreshed by immigration…by the passionate energy, ingenuity, and drive of people hungry for a better life.” 

Dr. Reif’s remarks brought the crowd to their feet with applause and appreciation for his unique perspective on the role of immigrants in our community. He spoke sincerely and movingly about his own immigration story and how his past continues to influence his outlook and actions today. His parents fled Nazi Europe, moved to Latin America, and raised the future MIT President and his brothers in Venezuela. Dr. Reif came to America for graduate school, overcame early struggles with English, and eventually found a home at MIT.

“When we offer immigrants the gift of opportunity, we receive, in return, vital fuel for our future,” he said.

Thanks to the generosity of many people, the Gala raised more than $1,000,000 to support the critical services IINE provides to the region’s most vulnerable new Americans. If you were inspired by Thursday night’s celebration and IINE’s mission, here are three things you can do to help immigrants and refugees in New England:

  1. Donate to IINE. Our programs directly impact the health, well-being, and future of recently arrived immigrants.
  2. Volunteer, or get your company involved with us. IINE relies on volunteer and corporate support to sustain our programs.
  3. Learn more about IINE by subscribing to our e-mail list, or following us on social media.

Thank you for celebrating with Dr. Reif and the MIT community, and for standing with refugees and immigrants. We offer again our gratitude to Noubar Afeyan & Bob Millard who co-chaired the Gala Host Committee, and to the Host Committee members, outstandingly generous corporate sponsors and supporters.  We also want to acknowledge the wonderful storytellers and musicians who shared their talent and enthusiasm.

We look forward to seeing you soon. The Gala is one special night, but your support is needed throughout the year.

Sincerely,
Jeff Thielman
President & CEO

The best atmosphere for the best learning

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Boston, Client Stories, ESOL.

By Fabiano Latham

My name is Fabiano Latham, I’m 41, I’m Brazilian, a journalist and writer, and I currently live in Boston MA.

I was asked by IINE to write about my experience as a “night” student in the ESOL program.

I can tell you that I discovered the IINE like by accident. I was looking for English courses on the internet, but none fit my budget. Suddenly I came across a dynamic website with information about IINE’s opportunities. At the same time I called and figured out I was eligible for free tuition! I thought: “Wow, this is a great opportunity!”

I enrolled and took the level test, and the next week I started classes. I really was impressed with the organization, the friendly atmosphere and the quality of the structure and materials.

I’ve been living in Boston for 3 and a half years. When I arrived here I spoke little English, even though I had already taken English courses in Brazil. On my own I was learning a bit every day, but for me, I needed to learn more intensively and so to learn in a school like the IINE is very important.

I have a degree and a postgraduate degree in Journalism and for 20 years I worked in newspapers, magazines and local TV channels in the State of São Paulo. I’m also a writer and have 3 books published. Therefore, for me, communication and language are fundamental, they are my life, my passion.

Currently, I’m finalizing the layout of the English version of my book called “Act Now!”. It’s a book about life coaching strategies with tips for changing habits, setting goals and learning to focus.

I’m really excited for the release of this version. I am also grateful for the help I found at IINE, especially by my teacher Lauren Bond, who helped me a lot with grammar and tense.

Finally, I would like to say that what most draws my attention to the IINE is the inclusion of everyone, regardless of their nationality or immigration status. Such a welcome is essential for students to feel comfortable and open to learning. Thank you to all the teachers and all the IINE staff. I wish success to all on this important mission!

Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Jessica Berger

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Boston, ESOL, Volunteer.

Jessica Berger, Classroom Volunteer

Jessica Berger is an enthusiastic and experienced classroom volunteer who spends many hours each week helping refugees and immigrants with their English skills.  For the past 18 months she has served as a regular volunteer in IINE’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes in our Boston location, and before then, as a student had spent time volunteering at UMass Amherst with international students and as a conversation partner.

So it stands to reason that Jessica considered herself something of a veteran who could roll with the dynamic vibe of an ESOL classroom and someone very familiar working with students whose first language is not English.

But all of her experience hadn’t prepared her to respond to one special task she found herself completing recently.

This past summer, one of our ESOL students from Kazakhstan asked Jessica for help writing a wedding speech. While surprised, Jessica was thrilled to help. The student’s daughter was marrying an American man, and was very nervous because she knew that half of the wedding attendees were going to be fluent English speakers.

“That was my first time ever writing a wedding speech,” Jessica laughed. “We wrote it, I recorded it on my phone so she could listen to it and practice pronunciation. I asked her ‘what do you think we should say, what are you trying to convey?’ And over multiple breaks we went ahead and wrote it.”

“She came back afterwards and showed me pictures, and said that someone at the wedding had complimented her speech, saying ‘Wow, you’ve progressed so much. That was a beautiful speech.’ That was a really high point for me.”

Special moments like this with students are why Jessica volunteers. “Classes become such a family. I know everybody so well,” she said. “I love how during breaks students will show me pictures of their family, tell me stories, and be so excited about something in their lives like getting a driver’s license.”

On top of the connections Jessica had made with students, she enjoys seeing the progress they make each week in their English. Volunteering in the ESOL classrooms had made Jessica realize just how difficult English is to teach and learn.

“English makes no sense! I remember teaching the phrase ‘dressed up’ because students hear dress and imagine a woman’s dress,” Jessica said.

But the students aren’t the only ones acquiring knowledge in the classroom. Jessica says she learns from the students, who come from all over the world and have plenty to share. In the future, Jessica hopes to continue to volunteer and eventually gain her Test of English as a Foreign Language certification so that one day she can teach in her own classroom.

NH Corporate Partner Provides a Balm to Newcomers

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Community Partners, Manchester.

W.S . Badger Co. is a family-owned, family-run organic product manufacturer located in rural Gilsum, NH (pop. 813!). Best known for all-natural body care products like lip balm and baby sunscreen, the Badger Company has expanded its relationship as a corporate partner with IINE in New Hampshire.

During the past year, Badger employees have initiated several projects to show support of refugees and immigrants living in the Manchester area. In June, Badger sponsored a World Refugee Day gathering to honor displaced people across the globe.  A creative team of Badger volunteers collected food, games, and even a science project for kids to enjoy as families gathered on a sunny day in a local park.

Following their involvement in World Refugee Day, Badger employees established a “Welcome Home” resource team with IINE. The team of volunteers collected home goods like linens and kitchen items to prepare an apartment for an arriving refugee family.  Thanks to the team’s help, a Congolese family came home to Manchester to find a cozy and comfortable environment where they could start to plan for their future in New England.

Life Science Cares – About IINE

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Boston, Community Partners.

Over the summer, IINE deepened our relationship with a unique corporate partner.  Life Science Cares (LSC) is an association of like-minded local bio-tech companies that have banded together to increase their philanthropic and volunteer impact in the region.

In 2017, IINE was designated as one of the organization’s beneficiaries and invited to a Council of Champions Mixer at Millipore Sigma in Burlington, MA. LSC collected gift cards at the mixer that IINE used to purchase new professional clothes and groceries for our clients.

Recently LSC brought 13 volunteers to Boston participate in a “Mock Interview Night” for students participating in IINE’s evening English classes for Speakers of Other Languages. Mock interviews give IINE students the opportunity to practice their job interviewing and English skills with a local professional.  Coming up in November, Life Science Cares volunteers will host a special Thanksgiving celebration for students in our Boston ESOL classes.

In addition to engaging with IINE as volunteers, Life Science Cares provided IINE with a generous grant in support of our employment programs in our Boston and Lowell sites. We were honored to be among the organizations selected for support during Life Science Cares’ first formal grant-making year.

Meet George Terpilowski: General Manager, Fairmont Copley Plaza

Written by Jeff Thielman on . Posted in Blog, Boston, Community Partners, Employment Support.

George-Terpilowski,-General-Manager,-Fairmont-Copley-Plaza2In May, when graduates of IINE’s Hospitality Training Program proudly collected their diplomas and celebrated the end of their course, they welcomed a guest speaker who inspired dreams of the paths their careers could take.

Their graduation speaker was George Terpilowski, an immigrant who worked his way from front desk clerk to his current position of Regional Vice President of the Northeast U.S. Region for AccorHotels and General Manager of the iconic Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston.

While attending university in his home country of England, George worked at summer camps in Western Massachusetts for two years through the British Universities North America exchange program. During those summers he had the opportunity to hitchhike from coast to coast, and it was then he developed his view that the United States is a land of immense opportunity.

At the time of George’s graduation the United Kingdom was in the midst of a deep recession, and to George, America “seemed like a country where you could do what you dreamed of doing,” and so he decided to move to the U.S. permanently.

With his official paperwork in hand and a vague but hopeful plan to be part of the American dream, George moved to Washington, D.C. When he first arrived he had no connections at all but applied for a job in a hotel because he planned to work flexible hours, make a decent wage, and start taking night courses. He participated in the hotel training program and began working at the front desk of the Sheraton Washington Hotel. George says that at the time, he sensed he could start doing anything in the U.S., and that with enough hard work, he could succeed.

For George, working for the first time in a hotel with 15,000 rooms felt essentially like being part of a small, insular town: it had a security force, an emergency response team, engineers and accountants, marketing people and chefs — huge numbers of people all working together to help make sure guests had a lovely experience.

“It captured my imagination and I decided after six months that that was what I wanted to do, so I immersed myself further,” he said. He took on extra shifts, offered to fill in when others called in sick and volunteered to work on major holidays. Reflecting on his first job in the industry, George said the front desk position was “a springboard to a career and a different kind of life.”

Today, as George walks the halls of one of Boston’s most historic and iconic hotels, he sees staff in the same position he was once in. He sees immigrants and young people just starting out their careers, who are eager to make their mark and get ahead. And from the other side of his career, he has the perspective of someone who has succeeded on his chosen path and wants to help others along the route he took.

The Fairmont Copley Plaza is an employer partner of IINE’S Hospitality Training Program (HTP), which prepares students for employment in the hotel industry and includes a job-shadowing component where students work in hotels around the Boston area for four days. The majority of HTP graduates go on to gain full-time employment as server assistants or housekeeping staff. But they typically don’t stay at that level job for long.

“This is an industry that is still ripe for people to come in at the very bottom of the totem pole, and if you have the right attitude, work hard, and really commit yourself…you have a chance of having a phenomenal career,” George said. It was the same theme he had highlighted in his speech to HTP graduates in May, when he urged those just starting in their careers to persevere and dream of bright futures.

“The experience we’ve had with the graduates we’ve hired has been fabulous. They will be very very successful,” he predicted.  “They’re starting off working in a restaurant or stewarding, but it won’t be long before they’re running departments.”

If George Terpilowski’s career trajectory is anything to go by, then it is clear that the hospitality industry rewards those who work hard and dream big.