People

Meet 8-week Japanese Immersion Student: Johnathan Vazquezcook

agjackson@middlebury.edu — 2025-08-29T09:00:00-0400

U.S. Marine Johnathan Vazquezcook, currently stationed in Okinawa Japan, can now hold a basic conversation in Japanese after attending our School of Japanese: Level 1. Our dedicated faculty and staff ensured he was never afraid to stumble and helped make every interaction feel meaningful.

Staff Spotlight: Motoko Tabuse, Director, School of Japanese

agjackson@middlebury.edu — 2025-08-25T09:00:00-0400

Motoko Tabuse has been the Director of the School of Japanese since 2019. The School of Japanese includes our 8 week (12 credit) immersion program as well as two graduate programs: MAT with Teaching Licensure and Master of Arts in Japanese Language and Culture.

Staff Spotlight: School of Japanese Bilingual Team 2025

agjackson@middlebury.edu — 2025-08-20T09:00:00-0400

Our bilingual assistants are indispensable to the success of our programs. Each summer, they plan and execute co-curricular activities and support our students, faculty, and staff. In this article, three of our bilingual assistants share about what they love most about working at the School of Japanese.

How the Language Schools (Just like Scooby-Doo) Changed My Life

agjackson@middlebury.edu — 2025-08-11T09:30:00-0400

PhD student Shahriar Akhavan Tafti’s summer at our German School “rewired his brain,” and “changed his very being.”

Meet 7-week German Immersion Student: Michelle Keefe

agjackson@middlebury.edu — 2025-08-05T09:00:00-0400

For Yale PhD student Michelle Keefe, who is typically very talkative, entering the German School at Level 1 was a daunting prospect. In the end, she was surprised to find that her impulse to communicate overrode her lack of language.

Meet 8-week (returning) School of Japanese Immersion Student: Zachary Brothers

agjackson@middlebury.edu — 2025-07-07T08:00:00-0400

Thanks to our 24/7 immersion environment, returning School of Japanese immersion student Zachary Brothers was able to make incredible progress and gain a thorough understanding of Japanese that he had previously been unable to achieve in his prior study of the language.

Meet 7-week Spanish Immersion Student: Julia Driscoll

agjackson@middlebury.edu — 2025-06-30T08:00:00-0400

Julia Driscoll, a dual-degree graduate student in International Human Rights and MSW at the University of Denver, uses the newfound confidence she gained at our School of Spanish to better connect with the refugees with whom she works.

Meet Former School of Korean 8-week and current MA Student: Michael Ormsbee

agjackson@middlebury.edu — 2025-06-09T13:14:31-0400

Former Korean immersion and current Korean MA student Michael Ormsbee shares about how our faculty and staff’s dedication during his immersion summers led him to return to the School of Korean to earn his graduate degree with us.

Where are they now? Meet 7-week Portuguese Immersion Student: Joseph (Pako) Molefi

agjackson@middlebury.edu — 2025-05-28T00:00:00-0400

Now the director of an International Relations & Management Consulting firm, Pako reflects on the dedication of the faculty and staff as well as the diversity of the community at our Portuguese School.

25 Years at the Chinese School: Honoring Chen Tong Laoshi

agjackson@middlebury.edu — 2025-05-19T00:00:00-0400

Chen Laoshi dedicated 25 consecutive summers to the Chinese School. A lead teacher at the school, he inspired the next generation of teachers and brought immeasurable energy, tradition, and joy to the community. Many of the traditions he began will live on as the Chinese School celebrates its 60th year in Summer 2025.