Student Spotlight: KATHLEEN BOROWITZ

Kathleen at work as a pediatric speech pathologist with her Spanish instructor Desi watching on.

Here’s what Desi’s Spanish Intensive Student, Kathleen Borowitz, had to say about her motivation and experience at Speak!

So, Kathleen, what prompted you to devote 3 weeks and 45 hours of your summer to Spanish? What were your goals for this course?

I have been studying Spanish for the past 2 years through various means.  I felt that the immersion approach would really help me make a jump forward.  My goals were to improve my conversational skills for both comprehension and production.

What do you feel were the major benefits of this one-on-one intensive course?

Topics/materials that were of particular interest to me and pertinent to my work environment; for example, my “homework” for each class was to find an article in Spanish of interest to me and then summarize it in Spanish in class the next day.  Desi also provided readings related to my field such as one on selective mutism.  The limited homework assignments and not having any tests was great!  Moving at my pace, the ability to discuss a particular topic in more detail,  or get caught up in a discussion, were all great benefits to an individual class.

How would you describe your intensive experience to a friend or co-worker?

It was really fun!  I looked forward to meeting with Desi each day and the 3 hours went by very quickly.  Having to listen and think in Spanish for 3 hours at a time was challenging but extremely beneficial.

How will this course help you in your work and life?

I work with many Spanish speaking patients and families at the hospital and was inspired to learn Spanish because I felt that I was not providing the same level of care to these patients as to those who are English speaking.  Just being able to enter the patient’s room and introduce myself and my role in Spanish makes a huge difference in establishing trust and acceptance.

Do you feel that this course was tailored to your needs and goals? in what way?

Yes, very much so!  Desi discussed my goals for the course with me on the first day and incorporated all my requests into our lessons.  She focused on vocabulary pertinent to my work.

How did you enjoy your instructor and her teaching style ? How would you describe your teacher in three adjectives (in English or Spanish!) ?

I really enjoyed working with and getting to know Desi.  She is a wonderful young woman who is an excellent teacher. Desi es muy paciente, informada, energica, y divertida!

Anything else to add? We welcome feedback!

I think this program is a great opportunity for any UVa personnel.  I was able to arrange for full reimbursement of my tuition.  I plan to complete further courses at Speak!.

Gracias Kathleen! We hope to have you back as a student in the future – keep up the wonderful work!

Feeling inspired to begin- or continue - your Spanish language journey?

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