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

If you would like to connect with a student ambassador to ask questions, please contact the School of Hebrew at hebrew-ls@middlebury.edu.

Hebrew student Marnina Cowan

Marnina Cowan

Hometown: Silver Spring, Maryland

Program: Master’s

Current: Hebrew Teacher, Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School

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

I didn’t realize what an incredible language experience I would have at Middlebury. Spending a summer at Middlebury is like being in a language laboratory. What better place to learn how to teach Hebrew than to witness it being taught and learned by a community of enthusiastic students!

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

First, Middlebury has the only MA in Teaching Hebrew as a foreign language in the US (I think even in the world). I chose to study at Middlebury because I wanted to do something for myself, to help myself become the best Hebrew language teacher possible. And second, Vermont is beautiful! Yes, I was enrolled in the Master’s program and I was working (or in class) almost all of the time, but there is something magical about the city. Vermont is beautiful and does good for the soul.

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

I lived, eat, breathed and slept Hebrew while I was on campus. Being at Middlebury was like being in a mini-Israel without being in the country. I wrote papers in Hebrew and participated in academic classes entirely in Hebrew. Even though I came to Middlebury already speaking Hebrew (I am a Hebrew teacher), I felt like Middlebury brought my Hebrew to a new level. I continue to use the language every day at work as I teach Hebrew to middle school students.

Sonia is a student ambassador.

Sonia Hinich

Hometown: Brooklyn, New York

Program: Master’s

Current: Hebrew Coordinator and a Teacher at the Dual-Language program in the Early Childhood Center in CBE.

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

I was most surprised by how much I was able to better my teaching practices and how applicable theory can be to my daily work. I was also surprised by the ways the classes created connections between the theory to a vast types of teachers: from teaching learners in a higher education settings to teaching young learners (like myself). 

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

I choose the Language Schools because I was looking for ways to become a better teacher. Not only from trial and error and the classroom experience but from professors that can support me to access theory and knowledge I might be missing. 

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

My teaching skills has improved and I gained the confidence to move away from teaching an external prewritten curriculum to writing my own curriculum in a way that is more effective for my specific students. 



Is there anything else that you would like to let a student know about your experience? 

I truly did not expect this learning journey to be as fulfilling as it was. I felt like my professors are passionate about what they teach and really care about my learning.   Learning with peers brought a lot of inspiring conversations and created a community of learners that keeps in touch long after graduating from the program.