TEC Student of the Month Award

Three years ago at the height of the pandemic, Zeenia started her Spanish learning journey at Tierra in a Beginner 3 course. Since then, she’s been wholly dedicated to her studies and her skills have truly blossomed, having become a high intermediate student and even travelled abroad for immersion study experiences. A naturopathic doctor whose passion for helping to make healthcare equitable and accessible to all has brought her to the non-profit world, Zeenia’s interest in gaining a deep understanding of other cultures and perspectives informs her approach to language acquisition. Zeenia has an authentically positive attitude and is a supportive, empathetic classmate; she brings laughter and joy, along with poignant questions, to any class she joins. We are honored to have Zeenia as part of our amazing student community at Tierra and can’t wait to continue to see her soar in her quest for fluency.

With a deep and genuine interest in the Spanish language and the cultures of Spanish speaking countries, Chris is an extremely dedicated student who has worked hard to achieve impressive progress. A retired elementary school teacher who also writes children’s literature, his passion for learning is ever-present and inspirational. An avid traveler, he’s been eager to use his blossoming Spanish skills while abroad, seeking authentic interactions and opportunities to connect with locals. Kind and welcoming, Chris is a fantastic group-oriented classmate whose great curiosity and enthusiasm have a positive impact on any class he joins. We’re honored to count Chris among our amazing student community and look forward to continuing see him strive toward fluency and to hearing about how he applies his skills in his fantastic adventures abroad.
 

Full of curiosity and enthusiasm, Nichelle has been consistently dedicated to her Spanish studies at Tierra since starting to take classes four years ago. With a passion for social justice, she is motivated to perfect her Spanish skills by her advocacy work and her desire to be able to communicate with people she serves in their native language. A kind and supportive classmate with genuine interest in everyone around her, Nichelle’s joyful energy has a positive impact on any class she joins. Always seeking to deepen her understanding and find patterns in the language, her probing questions often elicit answers that benefit the whole class and reveal fresh nuances of Spanish structure. We feel proud that the language education we provide at Tierra has a positive effect on the lives of the local Spanish speaking community through students like Nichelle who provide vital services to these communities, and we look forward to continuing to see her reach the stars on her path toward fluency.