Italian Beginner to Graduate to Staff: Arianna Contreras
Arianna Contreras, an alumnus of our Italian Immersion and MA programs, spent her second summer as a Bilingual Assistant at our Italian School in summer 2025.
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Meet 8-week Arabic Immersion Student: Haley Hawkins
Haley chose Middlebury because she knew she had a long way to go in the language, and she wanted the ability to focus solely on Arabic without any distractions. Though it was hard at first when she was forced to jump headfirst into the language, it only took a couple weeks for her to settle in and get used to communicating exclusively in Arabic.
Living German at Middlebury
| 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.
Paris Internship for Master in Applied Languages in French student
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.
Meet Award-Winning Chinese Graduate Students: Fang Bian and Ying Zhang
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.
Staff Spotlight: Markus Clark, Bilingual Assistant, Italian School
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.
Why Learn Chinese
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.
Meet 8-week Japanese Immersion Student: Johnathan Vazquezcook
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.
Staff Spotlight: Motoko Tabuse, Director, School of Japanese
Motoko Tabuse has been the Director of the School of Japanese since 2019. The School of Japanese includes our 8 week (12 credit) immersion program as well as two graduate programs: MAT with Teaching Licensure and Master of Arts in Japanese Language and Culture.
Staff Spotlight: School of Japanese Bilingual Team 2025
Our bilingual assistants are indispensable to the success of our programs. Each summer, they plan and execute co-curricular activities and support our students, faculty, and staff. In this article, three of our bilingual assistants share about what they love most about working at the School of Japanese.