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.
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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.
How the Language Schools (Just like Scooby-Doo) Changed My Life
PhD student Shahriar Akhavan Tafti’s summer at our German School “rewired his brain,” and “changed his very being.”
Meet 7-week German Immersion Student: Michelle Keefe
For Yale PhD student Michelle Keefe, who is typically very talkative, entering the German School at Level 1 was a daunting prospect. In the end, she was surprised to find that her impulse to communicate overrode her lack of language.
Meet 8-week (returning) School of Japanese Immersion Student: Zachary Brothers
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.
Meet 7-week Spanish Immersion Student: Julia Driscoll
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.
Meet Former School of Korean 8-week and current MA Student: Michael Ormsbee
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.