Like most American high school students, DePaul student LaTanya Gammon, took Spanish as part of her secondary education, but after graduation, she never used the world’s second most popular language of native speakers.

“I haven’t taken (Spanish) since high school, and I just kind of lost it,” Gammon, who is now taking prerequisite classes for the graduate nursing program, said. Despite her suffered retention, Gammon finds herself back in a foreign language classroom. To her, Spanish is not about collegiate requirements, but career advancement.

“I appreciate the language. That’s why I’m taking it again,” she said. “It gives you more opportunities to be able to communicate with not only English, but also with Spanishspeaking Americans.”

Currently working as a licensed practical nurse, Gammon believes Spanish fluency will help her connect with patients in her nursing career. Outside of the classroom, Gammon uses McGraw-Hill Connect, a digital learning environment and DePaul resource, to help her improve her Spanish. Despite her enthusiasm and use of computer software, she still finds speaking a challenge.

“I can understand (Spanish) better than I can speak it,” Gammon said.

French Instructor Nadia Andr’ÛΩ received her Bachelor of Science in computer programming. She explains that a computer is limited in its ability to teach a foreign language.

“We have tried software that would correct the student’s pronunciation, but it’s a computer,” Andr’ÛΩ said. “There are ‘x’ number of conditions you can program for, but there are billions of people. The software is limited. I have students who have tried (Rosetta Stone), but they always tell me that you need a person.”

Before the age of the internet, college students studying a foreign language sought help from fluent speakers by limited office hours, expensive tutors or networking.

Now in the information age, students can cast a global network to find native speakers from the comfort of their computer screens.

Women like 34-year-old Guatemalan Olga Pacaj’Û΍ teach Americans Spanish lessons via Skype. According to a Hemisphere Magazine article, women in developing countries cannot command a wage. By using Skype to teach foreign language lessons, Pacaj’Û΍, can make up to $12 an hour – a vast sum in a country with a minimum wage of $9 a day.

“For me, Skype has opened up a whole other world,” she said during the Hemisphere interview.

Andr’ÛΩ agrees, “Learning a foreign language opens up your mind.”

She believes that learning a language over Skype is a good idea for students looking for a resource outside of the classroom.

Her colleague, DePaul Spanish Professor Dr. Glen Garman, believes that learning another language is part of becoming a global citizen.

“Most of the world operates in more than one language. Monolingualism shouldn’t be the norm the way it is for a lot of people in this country,” Carman said while describing his travels to places like South Africa and Peru. “Having another language is part of being a well educated person. You can get to know people and places really well if you learn their language.”

According to the article, American students wanting to learn Spanish via Skype are attracted to the affordable rates and the experience, even if only virtual, of connecting with someone from the Spanishspeaking world.

The Skype lessons cost between $10 to $15, which is a steep contrast to private tutoring lessons in the United States that can cost a student as much as $100 per hour. Companies such as Live Lingua offer free trials to first time customers. Other websites such as The Mixxer pair students with a language partner for free.

For DePaul students who are embarking on learning a foreign language, Andr’ÛΩ, a speaker of four languages herself, gives advice for the journey: “Don’t be scared. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be shy.”