TEC Student of the Month Award

With great focus and commitment, Laura has built up her Spanish skills and taken advantage of every opportunity to delve into cultural learning in her two years studying at Tierra. A lawyer by profession, her desire to best serve and understand her Spanish-speaking clients was one impetus for her to pursue a higher level of proficiency in Spanish. Also inspired by her fondness of travel and eagerness to have authentic exchanges with locals, in her most recent adventure abroad this summer she spent several weeks studying Spanish in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. A highly motivated student with a quenchless appetite for reading in Spanish, she has no fear of the limits of her own understanding and pushes towards ever-deeper comprehension. We're thankful to have Laura as part of our community at Tierra, and look forward to seeing where her quest for fluency takes her!

Strikingly committed to his Spanish studies, Stuart has been a mainstay in his classes at Tierra since starting out in Beginner 1 in early 2014. An avid traveler, he was originally motivated to learn Spanish by journeys to South America and recently returned from an exciting trip to Ecuador and Peru. Stuart’s wide range of interests and talents have him wearing many hats including retired engineer, musician who plays the french horn, accomplished amatuer photographer, and helicopter pilot among others! As a student of Spanish, he’s a kind and enthusiastic classmate who always makes the effort to go beyond the task assigned to do research or extend the activity in a way that helps him to deepen his educational experience. We’re grateful for Stuart’s continued dedication to learning Spanish and look forward to continuing to see his skills flourish!
 

With a sharp sense of humor and extraordinary passion for learning, Teresa’s great enthusiasm easily rubs off on her classmates and instructors. Having started as a beginning student, she’s worked towards building her Spanish skills through both group classes and private lessons, sometimes simultaneously. A professor of geography, the subjects that most whet her interest include nature, climate, architecture, art, cuisine, and opera, and she’s taken advantage of her burgeoning skills to discuss all these and more in Spanish! A savvy world traveler, Teresa’s deep appreciation of the diversity of our planet and it’s cultures informs her nuanced approach to language learning. We’re honored to count Teresa as part of our community at Tierra and look forward to seeing her Spanish ability continue to blossom!