El programa de español para hispanohablantes de la UA

The University of Arizona has a Spanish program that is specifically for native, or heritage learners. But, what indicates that a student should identify as heritage learner?

The UA Spanish and Portuguese department says, "Heritage learners of Spanish are students who have been exposed to Spanish in their homes or communities from a young age. As a consequence of that early exposure, they can understand and/or speak the language and have a personal connection to it. The Spanish for Heritage Learners program at the University of Arizona offers classes for every student level, from beginning to advanced."

Cesar Marcelo Claros, a 22-year-old political science and economic senior, is a heritage learner. He was born and raised in Bolivia until 2001, when his family moved to the United States for what he calls better opportunities.

"The main reason was that my mom, who is a widow, raised us by herself since I was four years old, decided that there were more opportunities in United States," said Claros. "Her two brothers and her dad had moved to Arizona in 1990 and told her to come live with them for a better future economically and educationally for us."

Eleven years later, Claros, along with his mother and older brother, moved to Arizona from La Paz, Bolivia.

Since beginning his college career at the UA, Claros said the heritage program has enhanced his education. It is common for most heritage learners to speak the language better than they are able to write it.

"The heritage learning program at the UA has definitely help me perfect and improve my knowledge of my primary language, Spanish," he said. "Before taking any classes, when I signed up to have a Spanish minor, I thought [they would] all be pointless because its just Spanish and I've been speaking it for my entire life. But, ever since my first [heritage] class I've learned so many things that have helped understand more about my roots."

Claros said his favorite class has been Spanish 333. The class consists of learning the phonetic rules, and then applying those standards to various dialogues. Students also analyze the different pronunciations and tendencies of heritage learners, in comparison to those who've learned Spanish as a second language.

"Even though it was the hardest and busiest, overall it was fun and I learned a lot," he said.