Research has identified the essential proficiencies students should possess to be successful, but they are often not incorporated in the ESOL classroom. As a result, many teachers lack access to adequate instructional strategies to guide ELs to academic success. We argue in this article that, to provide a strong foundation and a bright future for ESOL students, problem-based learning and service-learning (PBSL) should be combined to activate the skills identified by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (2011). For this, we reflect on the 21st century skills and the implications for teaching today's students--the Millennials and GenZs--keeping in mind the professionals they will become tomorrow. Reflecting a student-centered approach, we incorporate practice into the research process by illustrating a successful integration of PBSL into an ESOL learning environment in higher education and then highlight additional curricular opportunities for synthesizing PBSL at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.