Speaking with a student ambassador is a great way to get a previous student’s perspective on the Language Schools experience.

If you would like to connect with a student ambassador to ask questions, please contact Haviland Johannesson-Forgit, School of Spanish Assistant Director, at spanishschool@middlebury.edu.

Joan is a student ambassador.

Joan DeSantis

Hometown: Reston, Virginia

Program: 7-week Immersion

Current: 2nd Grade Teacher and Interim Middle School Spanish Teacher 

What surprised you about your experience at the Middlebury Language Schools?

Initially, I was surprised how comfortable I felt as an older student and how many of my peers were studying at Middlebury Language Schools.

Why did you choose to study at the Middlebury Language Schools?

My daughter had studied Russian at Middlebury as an undergraduate and returned as a graduate student. She loved the experience and became proficient in Russian after a short time. I wanted to have that experience myself. 

Please describe how your language skills improved due to your studies at Middlebury. 

I began studying Spanish in my spare time in February prior to arriving on campus in June. The prep work I did at home helped land me in Level 2, so I was able to advance more rapidly when I arrived. The 24/7 immersion and the Language Pledge helped increase my speaking ability exponentially from the first day on campus. During the summer I received a call from the principal in my school requesting that I serve as the interim Spanish teacher for 7th and 8th grade. This is in addition to my full-time 2nd grade class, so it’s a lot of extra work. Nevertheless, it’s given me a reason to keep up with the language I started over the summer. 

What other language learning opportunities have you had? 

Over the course of my lifetime, I have attempted to learn many languages, mostly with limited success, beginning with afternoon Hebrew School as a six-year-old child, then Spanish and French in High School, Hebrew in college and later in Israel, and Russian from a textbook. At age 59, I discovered my love for Middlebury Language Schools in 2015 when I attended the School of Hebrew. I returned for two years of Russian, and, most recently, a summer of Spanish. The most obvious difference between Middlebury and other language programs is the opportunity to increase your confidence by listening to and speaking with people at all levels: professors, graduate students, guest artists, and novices alike.

My greatest obstacle has always been the fear of embarrassing myself when speaking to people and making mistakes. At Middlebury everyone is free to make mistakes in order to learn and progress! During my summers on campus, I feel as though speaking my target language is completely natural. Even though I’m only speaking at an intermediate level, I can make myself understand and I can understand my peers and my professors. Understanding native speakers, the news, and films is still quite challenging for me after only one summer studying Spanish, but I hope to continue practicing during the off months and return for another summer of immersion. 

Eliza is a student ambassador.

Eliza Kravitz

Hometown: Washington, DC

Program: 7-week Immersion

Current: Yale University, B.A. History, Advanced Language Certificate in Spanish, 2024

What surprised you about your experience at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I was surprised by the constellation of students in the School of Spanish. I expected to be surrounded mainly by other university students and was surprised to have so much contact with older students both in the 7-week and graduate programs. I really enjoyed getting to meet people at all stages in their lives through my classes, co-curricular activities, and community events. 

I also was surprised by the transnational nature of Middlebury. Because the professors came from all over the Spanish speaking world, I learned about various cultural practices, linguistic differences, and historical and current social issues in their home countries.

Why did you choose to study at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I chose to attend Middlebury Language Schools because I wanted to make a leap in my Spanish skills after many years of taking classes in school. I hoped that I could reach new levels of fluency by participating in an immersive experience and engaging in other activities I enjoy — learning about history and social movements, singing, cooking, and hiking, among others. I hoped to improve my Spanish so that I will be better prepared to do work important to me in the future, such as work related to immigration, criminal justice, or socioeconomic inequality.

Please describe how your language skills improved due to your studies at Middlebury.

After Middlebury, I feel comfortable in my ability to navigate practically any situation in Spanish — not necessarily by knowing every word perfectly beforehand, but rather by understanding how to learn and use new areas of Spanish and build from existing bases of knowledge I have. I am currently using my Spanish in the Legal Spanish course I am taking at Yale. In addition, I recently began volunteering with the Yale Interpretation Network as a Spanish translator and (after some training, hopefully) a Spanish interpreter. I also am taking singing lessons with a voice teacher who coincidentally speaks fluent Spanish, so I’ve been able to continue singing in Spanish! 

Spanish student Luke Malone

Luke Malone

Hometown: New York, New York

Program: 7-week Immersion

Current: Freelance Journalist

What surprised you about your experience at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I was surprised by how fun it all was. Don’t get me wrong, it was difficult and at times I wanted to leave, but it’s a unique experience and everyone is in the same boat so you make friends fast and hard.

Why did you choose to study at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I had been studying Spanish on and off for almost ten years and wanted to consolidate my skills and get to a conversational level.

Please describe how your language skills improved due to your studies at Middlebury.

Before Middlebury I could only have one-way interactions, like asking for things at restaurants and bars or making statements. Now, I can speak with my husband’s family, our neighbors, and other Spanish-speaking people in my life. Admittedly, it’s with some difficulty, and I make lots of mistakes, but I can now have conversations and understand a lot more than I once did. One area that really improved was my listening ability. Having classes in Spanish really forces you to listen actively and now I understand a lot more in my day-to-day—which helps with conversation, watching movies, listening to people on the subway, etc. Another area was getting rid of my fear of sounding like an idiot. You make mistakes relentlessly at Middlebury but you have to push through. This was perhaps the most valuable thing of all—when you don’t worry so much about making mistakes you try to speak more and it’s amazing how much of a difference it makes.

What advice would you give someone wanting to attend the School of Spanish?

Just work really hard while you are there and try to enjoy yourself.

Hashim is a student ambassador.

Hashim Muhammad

Hometown: Maryland, USA

Program: 7-week Immersion

Current: Middlebury Institute of International Studies, International Education Management, 2022

What surprised you about your experience at the Middlebury Language Schools?

What surprised me most about the School of Spanish was how prepared the teachers and staff were ready to help the students of the lower levels like myself. Don’t get me wrong, starting from level 1 was difficult, but I could see that the teachers and staff understood and responded accordingly. My teachers were the most patient teachers I’ve ever studied under. Furthermore, despite being in level 1, I was also able to participate in the clubs and extracurricular activities, because I was able to go at my own pace. Week by week I was able to improve my Spanish and participate more in class and in various clubs, but I would not have made it so far without the immense amount of patience and support shown by the people in charge of the program. 

Why did you choose to study at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I wanted to study Spanish to be able to connect with an important culture and people here in the U.S. To this end, I decided to study at the Middlebury Language Schools, because it offered an immersive experience. During the program, we did not only focus on just the language, but we learned the language alongside the culture of the people who speak the language. For me this meant studying the food, history, and traditions of Spanish speaking countries. This context-based learning approach guaranteed that I came away from this program not only much improved in my Spanish speaking abilities, but also that I gained a different perspective of the world around me.

Please describe how your language skills improved due to your studies at Middlebury. 

I arrived at the program knowing only a few words in Spanish. The program was very intense and a little overwhelming at first, but each week I found my language comprehension and production skills growing and growing as I dove deeper into the program. By the time I left at the end of the 7-week program, I could not believe the change that I had undergone over such a short period of time. I was able to test into the appropriate level that I needed for graduate school. Now, as I study international education and become more familiar with the needs of marginalized communities in the United States, I wish to use my Spanish to connect with and work alongside the Hispanic community to make international education more accessible. 

Describe a typical day at Middlebury.

For me I would wake up at 7:30 am because classes started at 8 am every day. These classes ran till about 3:30 with a break and lunch built into the schedule. During all mealtimes you are supposed to eat with other people in your school, so that you can build your language skills and make connections. After classes usually people will have an extra-curricular activity to attend. If not, you are free to do whatever, but most people will be studying. There are also seminars or other events that are held before or after dinner. If I didn’t have theater usually, I would be doing homework after classes. Then, after dinner I would find an empty classroom and continue to study until it was time for bed. It sounds a bit intense, but I found time to relax and give my mind a break throughout the day. 

Spanish student Meeka-Kai Sands

Meeka-Kai Sands

Hometown: Montpelier, Vermont

Program: 7-week Immersion

Current: Spanish Teacher

What surprised you about your experience at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I was pleasantly surprised by the community. The professors are not only incredibly knowledgable, but also very supportive and truly want to see their students succeed at Middlebury and beyond.

Why did you choose to study at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I chose to study at the Middlebury Language Schools because of its excellent reputation as well as the Language Pledge. I am an introverted and studious person. Due to this combination, I had always done well in my Spanish classes, which were mostly based in reading and writing, but had never truly spoken the language. I knew that the language pledge was the only environment that would force me to move out of my comfort zone and jump into speaking Spanish. Middlebury offers the combination of academic rigor and immersion that I thought would be intellectually satisfying as well as push me to grow personally by giving me the confidence to speak the language. 

Please describe how your language skills improved due to your studies at Middlebury.

I have Spanish heritage and after studying at Middlebury I was able to travel to Spain and converse with my cousins after not being able to speak the language. I talk with Spanish-speaking friends, read books in Spanish, and listen to Spanish music daily. I am also very happy to be currently working as a K - 8 Spanish teacher. Knowing a second language has enriched my life immeasurably.

What advice would you give someone wanting to attend the School of Spanish?

At Middlebury you will find yourself surrounded by enthusiastic and supportive professors as well as peers. You will grow both personally and academically. One beautiful aspect of language acquisition is that it allows a person to express themselves in new ways, which can then be carried over to their native language. After my two summers at Middlebury I returned home impassioned, expressing myself in the direct way that is more common in Spanish than English. In learning another language you will find treasures that you didn’t know were waiting for you.

Spanish student Claire Wang

Claire Wang

Hometown: Hangzhou, China

Program: 7-week Immersion

Current: Haverford College, Economics & Growth and Structure of Cities

What surprised you about your experience at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I was surprised how much we could accomplish in 7 weeks after starting from nothing. It was surprisingly fast! You might think 7 weeks is not enough time to learn a language and have a basic command of it, but when I went back to school I found that my classmates had at least 4 to 7 years of exposure.

Why did you choose to study at the Middlebury Language Schools?

I chose Middlebury because many people, including my professors, recommended this program. After I was accepted, I discovered more alumni in my area.

Please describe how your language skills improved due to your studies at Middlebury.

I was placed into intermediate advanced language classes, and I am going to Argentina for study abroad. My professor thinks it is a miracle that I was graded as intermediate mid in a national language test, but if you study hard along with the program, anything could happen.