Learning a foreign language provides students with a valuable “skill for life,” so says Veronica Chavez, chair director of the world languages program at Arapahoe Community College (ACC). Apart from the three associate degrees available, any career can be enhanced by studying a different language.

Chavez explains that students acquire cultural awareness, critical thinking skills, as well as technical skills upon completion.

Introducing others to different languages and cultures has been Chavez’s calling. She taught English in Mexico to share her love for the English language. Now, as chair director at ACC for the past three years, she continues to  enlighten people on amazing cultures.

Some people may say learning a language is hard, they do not have the knack for it, or are just too old. Chavez says, “my best students have always been the oldest…because they know how to learn; they are really invested in learning.” She goes on to say that age makes no difference, but motivation and curiosity are all one needs to learn about the world.

There are six different languages taught at ACC: American Sign Language (ASL), Arabic, French, German, and Spanish. Each is taught at four skill levels, excluding ASL which only goes up to two levels due to lack of student interest. Although more classes are listed (such as Conversational French I), they are not currently offered for this same reason.

Available degrees that can be completed through this program are an A.A. French transfer major, A.A. Spanish transfer major and A.A.S. business.

Currently, there are only around 15 students declaring Spanish or French as their major. This is fairly typical as there is not much interest in this field.

Even if a student is not declaring a foreign language as their major, learning another language is still very useful for any career. It is especially helpful for jobs that are people-oriented such as retail, nursing, law enforcement, government agencies, tourism, teaching and journalism.

To aid in the transition from high school to college, Chavez has been in the process of coordinating a concurrent enrollment agreement with Castle View, one of Castle Rock’s high schools. The plan is for the high school’s qualified teachers to teach the same level courses offered at ACC at the high school. This allows high school students the benefits of acquiring both college and high school credit and thereby saving money since they can skip classes they took in high school when they become a student at ACC.

The world language program often pairs up with the  Spring International Language Center to coordinate events with the idea of sharing diverse cultures. They have put together international dinners for the students to get a taste of many different cuisines.  Last year, Spring International and many of ACC’s clubs teamed up to put on the end of the year extravaganza.

Chavez explains they are working on a partnership with the Workforce and Community Programs to offer language classes provided by ACC for the community for free. Also in progress is providing a certificate in Spanish specifically for law enforcement students, as well as a certificate in Arabic for any interested students.