Improve your Spanish Language Skills

“To whom it may concern,

I highly recommend Alicia Willis as a candidate for a Spanish language instructor. I recently had the pleasure of attending a six-week intensive language class instructed by Mrs. Willis. Her ability to connect with her students and her talent at teaching simple Spanish concepts as well as more advanced topics are truly superior. Mrs. Willis has excellent written and verbal communication skills and is extremely organized and reliable.

Mrs. Willis was able to quickly build rapport with me. Learning a new language is challenging and often frustrating. Mrs. Willis guided me through the process with patience and kindness. If I struggled with a topic, she was able to present the topic in a different manner in order to ensure I was able to understand. Her ability to make learning interesting and foster a fun atmosphere in her classroom made the experience engaging and rewarding. Throughout the course of the six week program, I have become comfortable with conversational Spanish in various settings. My duties as a Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation require me to be proficient in Spanish, and I believe my time with Mrs. Willis will allow me to effectively serve my community and enforce violations of federal law.

I recommend Mrs. Willis without reservation. If you have any further questions with regard to her ability or qualifications, please do not hesitate to contact me.”

Sincerely,
Jonathan C.

“Alicia Willis has been my Spanish professor for the past seven months. In this time, she has taken me from the very basics to an advanced level that I didn't believe was possible. Her technique is fantastic, making her teaching ability truly invaluable! Alicia's best characteristic: patience. No matter how challenging you think the material may be, she has a way of explaining each part of a word (i.e., conjugation) or a sentence with impeccable clarity. Alicia also understands how you learn as a student because we all know that everyone learns differently. Saying this, she customizes the lesson for you to learn in the most efficient way possible. I've realized this several times during lessons because I know that I'm being taught in a different way now than I was during the first few months.

A lesson with Alicia begins as soon as you walk through the door. She greets you with a warm "hola," and will ask you (en español, por supuesto); what was your homework (tarea)? You and she will then review the work you had been assigned and worked on during the past week. Don't be afraid to ask any questions, ever! Alicia has been and is always welcoming of any concerns you may have during the lesson. The best and possibly the most crucial part of the lesson is when she begins to ad-lib questions to you based on the material you have been studying and you will need to use your Spanish to create sentences in order to provide answers, which begins a cordial and very real back and forth conversation that enlightens and gives you confidence that you're learning the material in all its facets.

I do indeed highly recommend Alicia to anyone who has the desire to learn the Spanish language and also the culture. Aprenda, divertirse y disfrutar!”

- Bill Y.

“LETTER OF APPRECIATION

1. I would like to personally thank you for your outstanding linguistic expertise and dedication during the preparation for the Operational Readiness Exercise that was conducted in July.

2. The outstanding transitional work you provided for this event reflects your professionalism and unselfish dedication to duty. That dedication was key to the success of this event.

3. Your efforts resulted in language and culture products being produced for the exercise. Those products assisted in making the training and evaluation event that much more realistic. Thank you again for your assistance."

CAPTAIN JOHN S. W.
USMC

“To Spanish enthusiasts,

My experience in becoming familiar with a new language has been enhanced by my work with Alicia Willis at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington over the past two years. As a retired physician, I have taken advantage of study offered here to senior citizens by the State.

In the curriculum, there have been basic and intermediate courses but most importantly, the opportunity to have Alicia as a personal tutor and conversational facilitator for groups of students. She makes the work fun and interesting. I am sorry to see her go as my easy with the language continues to improve.

Alicia’s most valuable gift is direction toward simple, everyday discussions and those challenges dealing with more abstract concepts, depending on the levels and desires of the students. Her technique involves and expanding vocabulary recording in her handwriting notes to be used and saved by the students-along with reference to music and word of the internet.

Alicia is well received by the 18 to 21 year olds and senior like me. She is to be commended for her present work toward a higher degree for herself. It is my pleasure that I recommend her for a continuing role of mentor-conversationalist in the university setting."

Sincerely,
S. Clayton C., Jr., MD

“My experience with Alicia was very positive. She is very organized and willing to help in learning to speak better Spanish. Highly recommended, thanks.”

- Kent W.