| by Drew Philp
Drew Philp attended the Middlebury Language Schools Betty Ashbury Jones MA ’86 School of French in 2018 and 2019. In 2019 he received the Fellows for Peace fellowship, which covers tuition, housing, and food for a summer at the Language Schools. He is currently a journalist in Berlin, and writes here about Language Learning in the Age of AI.
| by Carolyne Ulomy
From June 29 until the afternoon of August 14, it was all German, all the time for Carolyne Ulomy, whose home language is Swahili.
Caroline Finken, Master in Applied Languages in French student, completed a summer practicum as a conservation intern at the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte in Maincy, France.
Ying Zhang, whose Chinese Program at Montgomery Bell Academy was recognized as one of the 16 programs across the US to receive the 2024 CLTA Distinguished K-12 Chinese Program, shares about how Middlebury’s Master’s in Chinese program shaped her as an educator.
Fang Bian, who teaches Mandarin Chinese at Bergen County Academies in New Jersey, has used the teaching methods she learned in our MA program to integrate authentic language materials with activities that lead to more scientific, productive, and effective student output.
As a historian, violinist, and someone with Belarusian roots, Max Goodman’s choice to attend the Kathryn Wasserman Davis School of Russian felt personal. He was already deeply invested in Russian culture and history, and Middlebury uniquely combined that motivation with the academic structure and immersive intensity he needed to grow.
Markus Clark, an alumnus of our Italian Immersion and MA programs, spent his second summer as a Bilingual Assistant at our Italian School in summer 2025.
Drawing on her professional and personal experience, Dr. Pen-Pen Chen shares insights into how language connects identity, community, and opportunity. Dr. Chen highlights the cultural and professional advantages of learning Chinese in today’s world while reflecting on her own journey as a Chinese American. This engaging discussion offers both inspiration and practical reasons for embracing language learning.
Video originally published by the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona, June 26, 2025.
For level-1 Chinese immersion student Mark Roose, our instructors’ personal investment in his success made all the difference. He went from never having studied Chinese, to being able to carry on full conversations by the end of the program.
A unique summer language course in Vermont opens the door to opera singing in Germany. At Vermont’s famed Middlebury Language Schools, opera singers perfect their German.
U.S. Marine Johnathan Vazquezcook, currently stationed in Okinawa Japan, can now hold a basic conversation in Japanese after attending our School of Japanese: Level 1. Our dedicated faculty and staff ensured he was never afraid to stumble and helped make every interaction feel meaningful.
