Edinburg Native Hones Language Skills for Free
Student of the Week: Luis Reyes
Luis Reyes, local acting instructor of MDA learns Valley’s linguistic roots to help with Spanish-speaking clients.
Sometimes you never realize how good or bad you have things until you leave and come back with a fresh eye, according to Luis Reyes.
A dynamic traveler pre-COVID, Luis said he was astounded to learn of the large numbers of multilingual people in some of the U.S’s largest metropolitan areas.
It was this culture shock that inspired him to return to the Valley and enroll with South Texas College, he said.
“My Spanish has always been weak and I remember trying to negotiate funds to get a Spanish translator when I came back home,” said Reyes.
So, when he came across STC’s ‘Free Semester’ ads, he registered for classes that same day.
Reyes is currently pursuing his degree in Language and Cultural Studies with a concentration in Spanish.
“It’s been great because I didn’t have to miss out on work and now with online courses it makes it pretty flexible for the most part,” he said. “And I didn’t have to pay anything out of pocket, and it's been great.”
“It’s been great because I didn’t have to miss out on work and now with online courses, it makes it pretty flexible for the most part, and I didn’t have to pay anything out of pocket, and it's been great.”
The Language and Cultural Studies program is designed to provide students the opportunity to develop and enhance their practical communication skills and cross-cultural understanding that will provide them the foundational coursework required for advancing careers.
While Reyes juggles the responsibilities of family man and business owner of theatre and improv classes, he welcomes the challenges that have helped him grow professionally.
“It’s been a challenge because even though I’m from the area, I never sharpened my linguistic skills, but STC has been great because now I finally have the accountability that I needed to go through with improving and overcoming my weakness,” he said. “It might sound silly, but I've never been able to learn by just jumping in the water speaking choppy Spanglish to clients and live audiences, on top of sounding unprofessional I just haven’t been able to learn that way.”
Reyes highly encourages others to learn a new skill and take a course to improve your skill. He thanks STC for his growth.