An Interview with Teresa Molina

The first step to build a bridge between cultures is understanding the language. Friends University's Spanish department is one of the best ways to learn Spanish from experts who are genuinely concerned about their students' success across various boards. Whether it's a job as an interpreter, a translator, usage in a different job field, or for travel, they wish to see their students make the most of learning a second language.

Teresa Molina is a Spanish professor at Friends University. She studied Latin American Civilisation and Culture and teaching Spanish as a second language at Wichita State. Then, came to Friends University to earn her Masters before deciding to teach for its Spanish department. As of present, she is planning to take a certification exam for interpreting and translating in the medical field and is the president of the Spanish Committee in Wichita Area Sister Cities.

What makes her classes unique is that the small class sizes allow her to provide more attention to each individual student. She also makes the most of the technology Friends University provides in order to facilitate concepts by providing as many examples as possible to help her students fully grasp each one. However, aside from her in-class students, Molina has tutored students from other colleges. She stated that a common issue with other Spanish programs is that the class sizes are usually too big or have a teacher assistant who hasn't finished their degree. This, in turn, makes things harder to understand for someone who is trying to learn the language.

These smaller class sizes are one of the main factors why most students choose to learn Spanish at Friends. Another factor is that Friends' Spanish department encourages students to study abroad. However, with the limitations that COVID-19 has placed, Molina and the other professors in the Spanish department have been doing their best to share the culture through other means. Allowing students to experience the culture is a vital step for those who want to become entrepreneurs who branch cultural bridges.

Most students who want to be fluent in the language go abroad to immerse themselves in the language. Normally, students are bombarded by English from all directions as soon as they leave the classroom. Therefore, by going abroad to a place where everyone is speaking Spanish, they get to exercise that language and train their hearing to get accustomed to it. As Molina stated, there is a difference between, "Learning Spanish Culture VS Living Spanish Culture." A student who only learns about Spanish culture would never get to experience the trip to Cuba that Molina took her students to two years ago. Getting to see the sea wall in person while people dance salsa on the streets is something a student could never experience through textbooks alone.

The Spanish Club tends to earn most of its money through fundraisers to help students pay for these trips. The trips are costly since lodging, transportation, and the like must be taken into consideration. However, they have also received donations from Wichita Area Sister Cities to help fund past and possibly future trips.

While most plans have been interrupted due to COVID-19, Molina is already planning which destinations to go to next once it's safe. Some of those future destinations include Cuba, Argentina, and Peru. Most students look forward to the student exchange program the Spanish department has with La Salle in Cancun. In this program, a Friends University student gets to spend four to five weeks in Cancun while attending classes in La Salle. They get to study Spanish conversation, Mayan history, and other courses from experts in the field.

Overall, everyone who has attended one of these trips has found it life-changing. Students found Cuba to be loving and hospital. Argentina is very different from other Spanish countries, but this difference provides yet another different experience that students can learn from. And Peru has a rich architectural appeal for students who want to learn about Inca culture. Getting to experience the culture firsthand while learning the language is one of the best ways to get pumped up to cross the finish line. It opens more roads for students to pick from after they graduate. Whether they decide to work as an interpreter, use it to get more out of another degree, or for travel, it's still a win-win scenario.