How Three People Turned English Lessons into Lasting Friendship

In 2022, after months of uncertainty and moving between countries in search of safety, Vitalii and Natalie arrived in New York with their young daughter, Maria, through the United for Ukraine program. They had left their adult son in Poland and were starting over in a place where they barely spoke the language. It was a moment filled with relief, but also the daunting reality that everything—work, friends, even the simplest conversations—would have to be rebuilt from the ground up.

Back home, Natalie had been a dance instructor and Vitalii worked as a photographer, but in New York they faced the reality of beginning again in unfamiliar fields. Their early months were marked by instability—staying with friends, navigating a housing system they didn’t understand, and helping Maria adjust to a new school—all while trying to make a home in a country that still felt foreign.

They began learning English, but not on the same path. Vitalii started at the Brooklyn Baptist Church before enrolling in evening classes at Adult Education School 6. Natalie studied at the Jewish Community Center (JCH), then entered the Manhattan School of Computer Technology to train as a medical assistant, while also taking Saturday English lessons at Adult Education School 6. Later, she added intensive English summer courses at Adult Education School 6. Despite their efforts, speaking remained difficult, and both often found themselves without the practice and confidence they needed.

In the summer, Natalie connected with Nadezhda, the mother of Maria’s classmate Darima. Through their friendship, Natalie learned about The City Tutors and ARNIC, a program in Manhattan. Soon after, Vitalii enrolled in The City Tutors, where he found flexible online tutoring to be exactly what he needed. A few months later, when her schedule settled, Natalie joined too—while continuing classes at Adult Education School 6 and ARNIC.

That is how they met Joyce. A longtime tutor at the Professional Performing Arts High School of New York, Joyce had recently joined The City Tutors to volunteer online. She began working with Vitalii and Natalie twice a week, sometimes through the Drop-In Tutoring Hour and sometimes through Self-Paced Tutoring. Vitalii might send a passage from a book he was reading. Natalie might bring in a newspaper article. Joyce would help them break it down, discuss it, and, most importantly, speak.

Over time, tutoring turned into friendship. They met in person for the first time at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Natalie brought a homemade lunch, while Joyce surprised them with her own freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Maria, then 11, came along—shy at first, but as they said goodbye, she turned to Joyce with a smile: “Next time, bring your bathing suit, and we’ll go to the pool.”

Their bond deepened. They attended a ballet performance at Lincoln Center together, spending hours over coffee and conversation. Later, Joyce joined them at Maria’s string orchestra concert at the Juilliard School, where she brought Maria a bouquet of flowers to celebrate the performance.

“It’s not just about understanding what you read,” Joyce explains. “It’s about using the language, speaking it.”

The progress has been clear. Vitalii and Natalie now speak with much more confidence, though they continue to push themselves to improve. Their tutoring sessions with Joyce remain an essential space to practice, build fluency, and grow more comfortable communicating—something they don’t often get in daily life, since most neighbors and coworkers speak other languages.

For Joyce, the connection goes beyond teaching. “I get a lot out of it,” she says. “It’s good for me.” Coming from a family devoted to volunteerism—her sister is a pediatrician, her brother travels abroad to perform surgeries for children—she sees her work with Vitalii and Natalie as part of that same legacy of giving back.

What began as an online tutoring match has become a lasting friendship—one that has made Vitalii and Natalie’s new life in America feel a little more like home.