TEC Student of the Month Award

An extraordinarily dedicated student, Sherry has attained an advanced level of Spanish after having started at the Beginner 1 level at Tierra in 2018. She is a nurse by profession who is preparing to retire soon, and it was the plan she and her husband made to retire in Costa Rica that ignited her passion for learning Spanish. Unafraid of challenges, Sherry probes the nuances of Spanish structures and meaning and is intent on deepening her cultural understanding. Delighted to be able to use her burgeoning Spanish skills to communicate with Spanish-speaking patients, she has also made many trips to Costa Rica in preparation for her move and reports being evermore able to engage with the locals, to understand and be understood. Full of positive energy and sincere care for others, she easily builds rapport with her classmates and helps create a dynamic learning environment. We are honored to count Sherry among our student community at Tierra are thrilled to have helped her achieve her goal of building solid Spanish skills ahead of her move abroad.

After beginning his studies at Tierra in the summer intersession of 2020, John has enrolled in a Spanish course in every term since. Impressively dedicated to his studies, he is committed to practicing his Spanish skills daily by reading and listening to Spanish-language content. He deeply engages with the course material and never shies away from a challenge, demonstrating particular interest in the most nuanced usages of the language, the most demanding reading assignments. Exuding warmth and empathy, John’s jovial nature renders him a highly esteemed classmate whose presence is enjoyed by all. We are grateful to count John among our student community at Tierra and look forward to continuing to see him dive deep into the learning process, setting an inspiring example of what retirement can look like!
 

Endlessly enthusiastic about her Spanish studies, Mary has made great progress over the past 2+ years that she’s been taking twice-weekly classes with Tierra. A retired physician, she is engaged in community work with the Spanish-speaking community and has a deep interest in expanding her cultural, as well as linguistic, knowledge. A lover of travel and nature, she recently went on an immersion trip to Spain where she chose to stay in small villages in the mountains, soaking up the Spanish classes and abundant opportunities to practice her language skills as well as spectacular landscapes. Mary exudes joy and generosity in her interactions with her classmates and approaches challenges in the language learning process with open-minded wonder. We are honored to have Mary as part of our amazing student community and look forward to continuing to see her leap past her goals.