Taking on a new language

When Kendra Anderson moved to Lake County, one of the first things she noticed was the large Spanish-speaking population. According to the United States Census Bureau, nearly 30% of people in Lake County over the age of five speak a language other than English at home. As she works on becoming a teacher, Anderson is hoping the Spanish she’s learned at College of Lake County (CLC) will help her become a better communicator.

Location and affordability were big factors for Anderson when choosing CLC, especially since she works and has kids at home, but she also heard about older students having success with their classes.

“I don’t consider myself a traditional student,” Anderson said. “CLC showed me that there is no age on education.”

Anderson came to CLC interested in elementary education, but she wasn’t sure what classes to take. Anderson’s advisor helped her set up a schedule that fits with her time constraints.

“My advisor recommended that I start with two classes because of my busy lifestyle, but I thought, let me see what I can do for a third because I want to graduate quicker,” Anderson said. “I started to look at all the courses available and noticed that Spanish was available.”

Anderson had very little Spanish knowledge coming into her first class, not knowing much more than some letters and how to count to 10. Her first class didn’t come easy.

“When I took my first Spanish class, I was on the verge of dropping out because it was very difficult,” Anderson said. “My head hurt, my mouth hurt. I just didn't know if I had the stamina to put into it and maintain a good grade because I didn't want a bad grade on my record.”

Luckily for Anderson, she got Spanish tutoring, a service provided and funded by the World Languages Department, and was able to build up her confidence. After a few weeks, her struggles went away and she started to enjoy learning, growing a passion for the Spanish language. Along with tutoring, Anderson participated in Spanish table, a one-hour-a-week program with conversation through Spanish culture and music.

"Kendra is the kind of student that all teachers would love to have in their classrooms,” said Foreign Language Laboratory Specialist and Spanish Tutor Sandra Aguilera. “She has demonstrated herself to be a dedicated, organized and hardworking student. Her passion to serve her community is one of the many qualities that she has. It has been wonderful to see her grow and have conversations with her, in English and now Spanish."

Anderson aspires to become a bilingual teacher, teaching in both English and Spanish. The next stage for her Spanish speaking ability is to maintain what she's learned to be able to pass the exam to become a certified bilingual teacher. To earn her bachelor’s degree, she is transferring to National Louis University.

“I would recommend that someone who wanted to take Spanish at a college level or in general come to CLC,” Anderson said. “I've never had a professor that wasn't helpful, didn't go out of their way to help me.”