Entrepreneur receives commendation for teaching English to workers

Henderson resident Ronna Timpa brings new meaning to the phrase, “seeing eye to eye.”

“You bring people into existence just by looking them in the eyes and saying, ‘Hello,’ ” she said. “You can change someone’s life by doing that.”

Timpa plans to participate in a TedxFremontEastWomen speaking event May 29 at The Center, 401 S. Maryland Parkway.

Her talk, “Exclusion is an invisible disease,” focuses on changing people’s perspective of one another through acknowledgment and respect.

“You don’t see exclusion, but you can feel it,” Timpa said. “You don’t have to love everyone; you just have to be respectful.”

Raised in the Chicago area, Timpa said she was bullied in school. Without a close-knit group of friends, she said she was picked last in gym class and extorted for gum and candy.

“Feeling excluded impacts your ability to learn and function,” Timpa said. “Going through this made me realize I had a powerful story to share that could inspire others to be confident and successful.”

After graduating from Illinois State University, Timpa moved to Las Vegas with her parents in 1990 and worked as a training specialist at Bally’s.

“Someone suggested I teach the housekeepers English, so I started teaching people from 15 different countries: Ethiopia, Sudan, Colombia, Thailand,” Timpa said. “I loved it. I wanted to be with them every day.

“My dad always said to me as a kid to find something I’m excited about, and this was it.”

Timpa quit her job and moved back in with her parents to get her master’s degree in teaching English as a second language at UNLV.

In 1992, Timpa founded Workplace ESL Solutions to improve communication between workers, employers and customers through language immersion courses. She works with clients in the construction, education, health care, hospitality and real estate industries.

“We use photos, games and role play, and we only focus on things they need to know in their profession,” Timpa said. “If it’s fun, it lowers their anxiety. Some of them already know some English, but they have to build the confidence to speak it.”

Through her business, Timpa continues her mission of making sure people feel noticed and valued.

“I was with my friend at a casino when I saw one of my students working as a janitor, so I said hello and hugged him,” Timpa said. “As we walked away, my friend told me that she didn’t even see him, but I did, and it made him feel important.”

Las Vegas resident Arnulfo Diaz, who works as a casino porter, said Timpa taught him how to speak English and helped him with his pronunciation and clarity.

“She’s an amazing teacher. I’m grateful,” he said. “I’m not in class anymore, but I still call her to ask her how she is doing, and she calls me to see how I am. We’re friends now. It’s great.”

Timpa’s hard work earned her the 2015 Microenterprise Business of the Year Award from the Nevada District office of the U.S. Small Business Administration and a coaching award from the the Las Vegas Chapter of the Association for Talent Development.

“I want to leave people more inspired and confident than when I found them,” Timpa said. “It’s why I’m here. It’s what I was put on this earth to do.”

For more information, visit tedxfremonteastwomen.com or workplaceesl.com.

To reach Henderson View reporter Caitlyn Belcher, email cbelcher@viewnews.com or call 702-383-0403. Find her on twitter: @caitlynbelcher.