UVA Student, Philip DiMeglio, Makes the Most of his Pandemic Gap Year

“I honestly have never fostered a skill so consistently and successfully in such a short period of time as I have with Alejandra and Spanish.”

University of Virginia (and Speak! Spanish) student, Philip DiMeglio

Philip, tell us a little bit about yourself:

I am a 19-year old resident of Arlington, Virginia. I graduated high school in 2019 and completed my first year at the University of Virginia in the spring of 2020. I was home with my family for the spring and summer and spent my extra alone time reflecting on my first year of college and affirming/discovering my own convictions. This pandemic has been a rare moment for those of my generation, specifically near my age, who have had foisted upon them an inordinate amount of time to themselves, which seems to have led many (including myself) to a level of introspection we would not have reached so quickly otherwise. From all this thought, I decided to take the coming year off from school—to explore life outside of the academic realm for a year and to avoid a year of unsatisfying zoom classes and social isolation.

With a few first-year UVA friends at Carter Mountain Orchard

In the summer and the time of my year off that has already come and gone (I am writing this at the beginning of 2021), I have spent time learning, advocating, and protesting for human liberty. This is certainly one of my strongest convictions that has been reaffirmed this past year. Another that has been reaffirmed is my love of art and expression. I have thought of myself a musical person for a very long time, and at UVA I am the Music Director for the Virginia Gentlemen (an a capella group), but I largely ignored the many other forms of art that I enjoy consuming and creating. This summer I started drawing and water-coloring again, and I spent the fall in northern Vermont, where I attended the Vermont Woodworking School, a small craft school which equips its students with the knowledge necessary to design, build, and critique fine wooden furniture. I will return to VWS in the coming weeks to complete my “second semester” before returning to UVA in the fall of 2021.

Philip, Music Director for the Virginia Gentlemen, performing at an A Cappella Academy in Los Angeles.

What prompted you to embark on a pretty intensive Spanish course with Speak! Online this year?

I have always loved the breadth and variety of the human experience, which fuels my unquenchable desire to travel and see the world and its people. I took Latin in middle and high school, so I missed that opportunity to learn a new language, but as I finished the spring semester in 2020, I realized the coming summer and year off would be the perfect opportunity to put some serious hours into learning a new language. In the back of my mind, I always knew I would learn Spanish, it was simply a question of when. In elementary school I remember learning the bits and pieces of conversational Spanish, and remember loving the sound, feeling and rhythm of the language. I also have always held those bi/multi-lingual people in extreme high regard, especially knowing that an extreme few had such an ideal learning experience like I do (gracias, Alejandra!). I hope to use my Spanish to spend some of my college career abroad—to enjoy a linguistically- and culturally-immersive experience. Some day I also hope to bring my family and friends around the world where I can help them better experience Spanish-speaking countries.

How have your Spanish lessons made the pandemic more manageable?

Philip shares some laughs with his Spanish teacher, Alejandra

My pandemic experience has been all-but-consistent, but having daily classes with Alejandra (or even a less intense but still regular schedule in the fall) vastly helped me through this year. I remember stretches in the summer where I had very little motivation and was really just making it through the days, but by the end of my lesson with Alejandra I would have a wide smile on my face and I would be bouncing around the house with energy and satisfaction to share.

You were close to beginner level when you started. How do you feel your Spanish skills have grown during your 90+ hours of one-on-one with Alejandra?

I honestly have never fostered a skill so consistently and successfully in such a short period of time as I have with Alejandra and Spanish. I remember early on with Alejandra, she invited me to a conversation group which would meet on Thursday evenings over zoom. I remember the experience of the “Tertulia” I went to as more or less a listening session of sounds. I came away bashful and anxious to go to the next one because I felt as if I would embarrass myself by knowing so little. Thankfully I overcame my shyness and now participate in our weekly tertulias with gusto. I cannot say I understand every word that is said, but I keep up with the conversation and have made some true friends from this experience. I believe even if I do not progress much more from what I know now, and simply keep up my skills, I could (hopefully someday soon) have some immersive experience in a Spanish-speaking country. Nonetheless, I will continue lessons with Alejandra and continue to progress, so hopefully I will be even more equipped to live in another country someday soon.

Philip takes a break from stacking wood at his Airbnb in Vermont.

What do you enjoy most about your individual lessons? Which exercises or activities do you find most helpful?

At this point, I enjoy catching up with Alejandra in Spanish and discussing current events, the holidays, or something funny the most. That said, I do have a favorite activity, which was the 25-part story which Alejandra and I worked through on “News in Slow Spanish.” Alejandra will also sometimes give me stories to complete, which often requires combining many of the skills and grammar I have learned into one exercise, a task that seems to be both difficult and effective for in the learning process.

How do you hope to use your new Spanish skills in 2021? Do you plan to study abroad?

In 2021, I hope to use my Spanish more casually, meeting new people and friends who I can converse with in Spanish. I would love to study abroad in 2021, but I do not believe it is in the cards this year. However, I will be looking forward to 2022 when I can hopefully travel and live safely in another country to use and deepen my Spanish.