From ESL “poster child” to Butler Engineering Graduate

When Quang “Howie” Cao and his family left southern Vietnam for the United States in 2018, he was already a high school graduate. And while he knew he wanted to go to college, he also knew it would take time for that dream to become a reality in his new home.

“The first thing my uncle told me was that education here is very important and it is the door that can lead me to success. [But] I knew I needed to learn English first,” Howie said.

Once he and his family were settled in Wichita, Howie started looking for an English as a Second Language (ESL) class to take, eventually finding one at the Wichita Indochinese Center (WIC). That’s where his Butler journey began to take shape.

As part of a yearslong partnership, Butler Community College offers ESL classes and course pathways in Nursing and Engineering Technology at the WIC building. Once Howie’s English improved, he enrolled in a Career Pathways course at WIC taught by Sherry Watkins, director of adult education at Butler. Watkins saw in Howie a “determined young man [and] an excellent role model for all students, especially those whose first language is not English.”

Rooted in STEM, the Career Pathways course is where Howie first became interested in engineering. “Many WIC students like Engineering [because] its language is math [and] math notation is universal,” said Larry Friesen, longtime Butler engineering professor.  

This new passion led Howie to enroll in adult basic education courses through Butler's Accelerating Opportunities-Kansas (AOK) program. A state-sponsored college prep program, AOK pairs ESL students with an academic coach who monitors homework and class attendance and helps answer student questions.

The two-year AOK program helped Howie make steady progress toward earning his GED and Engineering Technology certificate, which is how he ended up in Friesen’s classroom. “I had Howie for Statistics & Differential Equations,” said Friesen. “He had a 4.0 GPA in difficult classes and was a conscientious student.”

As he made his way through the Engineering Tech certificate program, Howie says he didn’t always have confidence in the work he was doing and thought he needed more help. “[That’s when] I found out about the tutoring lab.”

There he worked with Marcia Uhls, one of Butler’s professional tutors in Andover who was instantly impressed with the young man. “Howie is a lifelong learner,” said Uhls. “He strives to be his best every single hour of every day.”

Uhls wasn’t the only one wowed by Howie. Butler’s Director of Tutoring Services Cassandra Zeiner was also struck by the young man’s intellect and demeanor. “You notice how intelligent Howie is during your first encounter with him. You also notice how comfortable you feel around him. [He] really has a way of balancing the energy in any setting,” said Zeiner.

After completing his GED and receiving his Engineering Technology in Drawing certificate from Butler, Howie enrolled as a full-time student and started working in the same tutoring lab he had once come to for help. “They helped me a lot. [So] when I saw the hiring position, I thought it would be great to give back just like I got help.”

As a colleague and employee, Uhls and Zeiner continued to be inspired by Howie. “He work[s] on the craft of becoming a better tutor, a better person, a better human being,” said Uhls.

Zeiner says Howie “has an authenticity that lets you know that your success is his success. [He’s] one of the best staff members I’ve ever had.”

Chrissy Unruh, an adult basic education instructor who taught Howie at WIC, marvels at Howie’s success. “Howie is my poster child. He took advantage of the opportunities [presented by] WIC’s partnership with Butler to pursue his college dreams.”

This past spring, Howie saw one of those dreams come to life as he graduated from Butler with an associate degree in engineering. Next, he plans to take advantage of Butler’s simple transfer process and get his bachelor’s degree in engineering at Wichita State University, but for now he continues to take classes at Butler.

“Butler provides excellent courses and a very good academic environment with a lot of support. The teachers and staff always try their best to help students succeed,” he said.