| by Colby Bittner
Colby Bittner reflects on his 8-week summer as an immersion student at our School of Japanese, concluding: “It wasn’t all fun and games, and it certainly wasn’t easy, but I might dare to say that I have not only grown as a person from my experience at the summer program; I have also gained an appreciation and love for learning languages that will last a lifetime.”
With the consistent support of her classmates and the dedicated faculty and staff of our Portuguese School, Chelsea Maxwell saw her language skills improve every day. She can now confidently hold a conversation or read a book in Portuguese.
Thanks to our 24/7 immersion environment, returning School of Japanese immersion student Zachary Brothers was able to make incredible progress and gain a thorough understanding of Japanese that he had previously been unable to achieve in his prior study of the language.
| by Ian Curry
The first students at Middlebury College’s summer Language Schools arrived on Friday, June 20. This summer, over 1,400 students and 300 faculty from all over the world will be living at Middlebury College, Bennington College, and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) in Monterrey, California.
Julia Driscoll, a dual-degree graduate student in International Human Rights and MSW at the University of Denver, uses the newfound confidence she gained at our School of Spanish to better connect with the refugees with whom she works.
For Penn State student Zoe Snell, who returns for her third summer at our 8-week Immersion program in Summer 2025, coming to study at the Chinese School was the best decision [she] ever made, for both personal and academic reasons.
The first student arrival day for the Middlebury Language Schools, known internationally for their Language Pledge® and full immersion, is Friday, June 20. This summer the Language Schools will welcome more than 1,400 students and 300 faculty and staff to the campuses of Middlebury College, Bennington College, and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS). The School of Korean will celebrate its 10th Anniversary this summer, and the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) graduate program will launch.
Former Korean immersion and current Korean MA student Michael Ormsbee shares about how our faculty and staff’s dedication during his immersion summers led him to return to the School of Korean to earn his graduate degree with us.
Now the director of an International Relations & Management Consulting firm, Pako reflects on the dedication of the faculty and staff as well as the diversity of the community at our Portuguese School.
Chen Lǎo Shī dedicated 25 consecutive summers to the Chinese School. A lead teacher at the school, he inspired the next generation of teachers and brought immeasurable energy, tradition, and joy to the community. Many of the traditions he began will live on as the Chinese School celebrates its 60th year in Summer 2025.
