Our story began when Adriana Leon and Louise Bergerson met. Adriana, originally from Ecuador, was living in Springs; Louise, originally from New York, had relocated to Amagansett. Together they realized that many Latinos on the East End of Long Island were facing a language challenge: they needed to improve their communication skills but didn’t have much opportunity to practice English. Louise and Adriana created something that did not exist locally: an evening language program that offered classes when working Latinos were available to study. When the first ESL program was launched in 2014, it became an instant success. More than fifty students registered and attended classes at our first location in Wainscott.

By 2018 the program moved to East Hampton. The new location was excellent and allowed us to greatly expand the number of students we could accommodate. However, the maximum number of people who could gather at that location could not exceed 120.

The pandemic in 2020 and 2021 created difficult circumstances for everyone in the area; nonetheless, our adult students adapted to remote learning and our program continued, despite the challenges.

In 2022 we were back stronger than before, ready for further expansion. Ruta27 — now fully certified as a non-profit organization — was granted permission to hold its classes at East Hampton High School. The move, effective in September 2022, has been monumental. At EHHS we are no longer limited in the number of students we can register and the growth has been progressive.

Another life-changing event occured in 2024. Starting on January 1, we are proud to have achieved the first brick-and-mortar location in our ten-year-history. We launched a three-classroom Language Lab at 15 Toilsome Lane, where we hope Ruta27 will flourish for many years. The new location gives our students an opportunity to practice their English every day of the week.