Spanish for Spanish Speakers

Spanish for Spanish Speakers Program

Program Mission

The Spanish for Spanish Speakers (SSS) program aims to provide a welcoming and nurturing community of learners for Heritage Speakers of Spanish at Mesa Community College. The program strives to provide academic and holistic support towards student’s goals of biliteracy and bilingualism while developing a sense of community in Mesa Community College and beyond.

The SSS program aspires to develop a bilingual, bicultural and biliterate community of learners to meet the professional demands of the larger San Diego community.

Program Objectives

Students will develop a sense of belonging in the SSS (Heritage Language) Program at Mesa College.
Students will engage in professional development opportunities through internship, and other community opportunities that will address community needs for a bilingual workforce.
Students will develop meta-linguistic and cross-cultural awareness of the situation of Spanish in the United States and in relation to the US-Mexico Border as an area of Linguistic contact and vitality.
Students will engage in cultural productions of Chicanx/Latinx artist (Literature, Art, film, music, textile) and other notorious Latin American Cultural productions that are in conversation with Chicanx/Latinx discourses around migration, legality, gender and sexuality, language, indigenous and black diasporas, among other.
Students will develop skills that will be able to transfer into their respective career paths.

How do I sign up?

Contact Program Director, Dr. Luis F. Avilés González via email at [email protected] for general program information, course offerings or course equivalencies and/or other program opportunities.

Are you a Heritage Speaker/Learner of Spanish?

If you grew up hearing or speaking Spanish at home but completed most of your schooling in English, you may be a heritage speaker.

You might be a heritage speaker if:

You were raised in a Spanish-speaking household and learned English in school.
You were born in a Spanish-speaking country or community but moved to an English-speaking one as a child.

Heritage speakers often understand and speak Spanish but want to strengthen their reading, writing, and grammar skills. These courses are designed to build on what you already know, helping you gain confidence, expand your vocabulary, and connect more deeply with your language and culture.

Program Benefits

Benefits of completing a Spanish for Spanish (Heritage) Speaker AA :

Study Spanish in an academic setting in the same way that native English speakers study English
Polish both oral and written language skills
Learn more about your language and your cultural heritage
Meet students with similar interests and experiences
Gain awareness and understanding of the Hispanic cultures
Increase career/internship opportunities
Take a class that counts toward a major, minor or humanities requirement
Get a competitive edge in your career /obtain salary incentives
Increase career options such as interpretation/translation jobs
Transferable courses for UCs & CSU’s

Program Components

The Associate of Arts in Spanish for Spanish Speakers requires 4 courses. All four courses count towards a GE in humanities (SPAN 215,216,221) and Social Behavioral Science (222) and are transferable to all UCs and CSUs. Completion of the AA will only take you 2 extra courses from an Associates!

SPAN215

Spanish for Spanish Speakers I This course is designed for students who are fluent in spoken, informal Spanish... 5 unitsUC TransferCSU Transfer

Typically Offered:

FallSpring

SPAN215

SPAN216

Spanish for Spanish Speakers II This course is the second of a two-course sequence in Spanish for Spanish... 5 unitsUC TransferCSU Transfer

Typically Offered:

FallSpring

SPAN216

SPAN221

Hispanic Literature for Spanish Speakers This course provides second year of study for Spanish speakers. It introduces... 5 unitsUC TransferCSU Transfer

Typically Offered:

Fall

SPAN221

SPAN222

Hispanic Culture and Civilization for Spanish Speakers This course provides a second year of study for Spanish Speakers. It introduces... 5 unitsUC TransferCSU Transfer

Typically Offered:

Spring

SPAN222

Acitivities

Students in the Spanish for Spanish Speakers program will have the opportunity to participate as Program Assistants or Interns though the Mesa Impactship Program (MIP) to support programmatic needs, translate and further develop your skills in Spanish.

Do you want to maximize the use of Spanish? Or have a cool idea that involves Spanglish, please reach out to Dr. Luis to discuss the possibility of developing it on campus!