Rio Salado adult education student Irma Guadalupe Montiel Rangel discovered the power and reach of social media when she shared a video about the college recently on TikTok.
Guided by her own positive experience studying English at Rio’s Southern location in Tempe, she used her phone to capture stories from her classmates and shared it through social media. The video quickly gained traction, reaching more than 20,000 views since it first appeared last summer and inspiring others to enroll at the college.
“Mi principal inspiración fue la necesidad que tenemos muchas personas de aprender inglés, especialmente al migrar a Estados Unidos,” Irma wrote in an email to the college. ("My main inspiration was the need many of us have to learn English, especially when migrating to the United States.”)
“Nunca imaginé que tantas personas se inscribirían después de ver mi video,” she wrote. ("I never imagined so many people would sign up after watching my video.")
Irma began her English lessons at Rio in January. She said she and others who do not speak English natively quickly learn the challenge of completing simple tasks like ordering food in a restaurant. She designed her video to support others facing similar challenges, showing that they, too, can succeed with the right resources.
“Quería que las personas conocieran que existen escuelas que incentivan a la comunidad a estudiar inglés, muchas de ellas ofreciendo programas gratuitos. Solo se necesita la motivación para aprender y aprovechar esas oportunidades.” (“I wanted people to know that there are schools that encourage the community to study English, many of them offering free programs. All you need is the motivation to learn and take advantage of those opportunities.”)
Before moving to Arizona, Irma enjoyed a career as a professional communicator, creating written and multimedia content for a media outlet in Mexico. When she moved here, Irma explored her new home and made videos as a creative outlet and thought others may enjoy them, so she turned to TikTok to share them.
“Regularmente creo videos para mostrar lugares atractivos de Estados Unidos y partes de México, con la intención de que las personas puedan escapar un poco de su rutina.” (“I regularly create videos to show attractive places in the United States and parts of Mexico, with the intention of giving people a little escape from their routine,” she wrote.)
Her advice to other students or aspiring content creators is simple:
“Siempre trabajen con pasión y autenticidad,” she wrote. ("Always work with passion and authenticity.")
The impact of her video continues today
“We experienced a sudden influx of student registrations not only for our location, but also for other locations around the Valley,” said Kim Anderson, program manager at the Southern location. “When we asked where they heard about Rio Salado College, many of these students credited TikTok. It was then that we learned about Irma's video and the powerful student testimonials and thorough explanation of class offerings that were highlighted. We were so impressed by her initiative and the positive impact her video made on others in the community. It was truly inspiring!”
Irma said once she improves her English, she hopes to enroll in a master’s degree program in digital marketing or visual arts to complement the bachelor’s degree she already holds in communication. In the meantime, she plans to continue creating her videos.
“Me gustaría crear más contenido relacionado con las clases de inglés, ya que he notado que ha generado bastante interés entre las personas.” (“I would like to create more content related to English classes, as I have noticed that it has generated quite a bit of interest among people.”)
Watch Irma's video on Rio Salado's social media
Instagram part 1
Instagram part 2
Facebook part 1
Facebook part 2