Christina Ball 9/29/26 Christina Ball 9/29/26

ITALIAN STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: ANN LAWRENCE GRASTY

“The things I learned from my instructor, Noemi, simply couldn’t be learned through an app”

Ann Lawrence Grasty, Executive Director, University Annual Giving & Stewardship

Christina Ball 8/26/26 Christina Ball 8/26/26

GERMAN STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: ANNIKA

“Learning German has taught me that no matter how different a language is, we are all human.”

Christina Ball 8/20/26 Christina Ball 8/20/26

Spanish Student Spotlight: Donna and Jim Horn

“We are excited to continue working with John and Christina and feel that they are on this journey with us!”

Christina Ball 8/13/26 Christina Ball 8/13/26

Student Spotlight: SUSANNAH

“These types of human connections that were the highlights of my trip would have been impossible without Stefanie and Speak!“

Christina Ball 8/7/26 Christina Ball 8/7/26

Spanish Student Spotlight: Jeff – From “Jefe” in 8th Grade to @CaminoJefe on the Trails

“It has been interesting learning about Franco’s home country and the various places he has lived while we worked together.”

Christina Ball 7/29/26 Christina Ball 7/29/26

Japanese Student Spotlight: Mark

“Learning Japanese feels like expanding my mind—it makes me see the world differently.”

Mark Floryan, Computer Science Professor

Christina Ball 4/8/26 Christina Ball 4/8/26

Spanish Student Spotlight: Erich

“The regularity that Speak! offers has made the difference. It keeps me accountable and focused.”

Erich Purpur, UVA Library

Christina Ball 3/6/26 Christina Ball 3/6/26

Spanish Student Spotlight: Brynn

“Studying on my own was easy to do passively. In-person lessons make it impossible to hide behind fear or doubt.”

Christina Ball 2/9/26 Christina Ball 2/9/26

Spanish Student Spotlight: Full-Time Nurse Kat Mirate

“Our Spanish class is one of the highlights of my week. Nattachya’s joyful energy makes learning fun, even on my hardest days.”

Kat Mirate, Nurse at UVA Health

Christina Ball 1/27/26 Christina Ball 1/27/26

Spanish Student Spotlight: Sandra Mirkil's Love Affair with Argentina

“Speak! Is a treasure to me. The different Spanish classes and teachers and the German instructors are all excellent.”

Christina Ball 5/20/25 Christina Ball 5/20/25

Italian Student Spotlight: Anne Pfister

“A big part of the course is based on an overview of Italy and its culture.”

Christina Ball 1/29/25 Christina Ball 1/29/25

Spanish Student Spotlight: Sharice Welch, UVA’s McIntire School

“The individualized attention from Franco in the one-on-one classes is really great; he is able to tailor the classes according to my needs.”

Sharice Welch, UVA McIntire Admissions

Christina Ball 11/12/24 Christina Ball 11/12/24

Partner Program Spotlight: English for Healthcare

Speak! partnered with UVA’s Pipelines and Pathways Program and Human Resources to support four newly-hired international employees with tailored English language instruction.

Christina Ball 10/21/24 Christina Ball 10/21/24

From Paris to C-Ville: Allison Zinder on the History of the French Restaurant

I’ll never forget a dinner I enjoyed in Paris with Allison Zinder. I was traveling with my best friend and our daughters, and on a hot summer evening in 2016, we met Allison for a classic French bistro meal at one of her then-favorite brasseries - Le Petit Lutetia.