February 2026 - Kaitlin Barker Davis

Bubbly and bursting with enthusiasm for her Spanish studies, Kaitlin has been impressively dedicated to her Spanish studies for the past year. A writer by trade, her love of language makes her particularly sensitive to nuance and shades of meaning, and her pointed questions coax out details that benefit the entire class. At home, she eagerly shares her learning journey with her two children, as she immerses herself in Spanish through music and children’s books. Her delight in studying Spanish and determination to speak and not worry about being perfect is contagious and helps her classmates to share in that joy and overcome the fear of making mistakes. She even wrote an essay recently about how studying Spanish has helped her to let go of perfectionism. We are honored to have Kaitlin as part of our amazing student community at Tierra and look forward to continuing to watch her march towards fluency with pizzazz.

Name: Kaitlin Barker Davis    
Occupation: Writer
Time Studying at Tierra: 1 year

1)  Why are you studying Spanish?

"So many reasons! I love to travel, and at first, I wanted to dust off and improve my Spanish so that I could confidently communicate about my son’s food allergies in other countries. I studied Spanish in school decades ago, but it was always buried so deep, so covered in dust, that I would freeze when presented with the opportunity to converse with someone. It was frustrating to have this old rusty skill that I couldn’t really use.

But once I started taking classes at Tierra, I became instantly addicted to my Spanish habit. It woke up my brain in a new, invigorating way. So even though I’ve now learned enough to successfully talk about my son’s allergies, I’m still studying Spanish because it’s just fun. More than fun—I find it thrilling to put myself in the position of being a beginner.

I’m also a writer, which is all about connecting with people through words, so speaking Spanish is a similar endeavor. But it’s also different in a very big way: you don’t have time to revise and perfect your words when you’re speaking. You have to be brave and just go for it. It’s not about perfection, it’s just about trying to connect with another person.

And, at this particular political moment, studying Spanish also feels like a small act of revolution".

2) What is your favorite part about your experience here at Tierra?

"My teacher, Alexa, is hands down my favorite thing about Tierra! Somehow last January, the stars aligned with a class on Friday mornings, my only free window during the week as a mother of two little kids, and I’ve spent every Friday morning since with Alexa. She is brilliant, engaging, kind, hilarious, and extremely encouraging. (She introduced me to the music of Julieta Venegas, who now dominates my running playlist.) Spanish class is a major highlight of my week. I love spending two hours in a room with a group of people who are all showing up to grow, challenge ourselves, make mistakes and learn together".

3) Can you tell us of a time you have been able to use what you have learned studying here?

"Just last week, I had the opportunity to help an older man who was lost and spoke very minimal English. He was clearly shocked and relieved when I told him I spoke Spanish. I pointed him in the right direction, but I also hope that he felt seen and supported. It was a short and simple conversation, but I wouldn’t have had the confidence to jump right in and help him if I hadn’t been studying and relearning Spanish this past year. There are so many people in our community doing the very hard work of speaking a second language all the time, not voluntarily or for fun, but because they have to. I think we should all feel what it’s like to walk around in those shoes.

I also just wrote a whole essay on practicing Spanish in Spain last summer! It’s about the thrill of being a beginner at something in midlife, and how relearning Spanish is helping me to unlearn my perfectionism".

¡Felicidades Kaitlin!