By Sophia Scearce
Launched in 2005, the Madrid Summer Program has enabled hundreds of Trinity students to experience a summer of learning and interning in Spain’s capital. At the center of the program is Dr. Bladimir Ruiz, associate professor of Spanish at Trinity University.
“There is something about creating a space that is not only a physical space in a classroom, but that allows for an interaction that is deeper than just sharing knowledge,” said Ruiz regarding his experience educating students in Madrid.
Ruiz has led the program for the past 9 years and is about to lead it for the 10th time in May. Through his decade long involvement with the Madrid Program, Ruiz emphasized the importance of learning outside the classroom. “I think what these programs are providing us with is the opportunity to have the classroom in the country and in the city, and to have the city as a classroom.” This kind of immersive learning outside the classroom also attracted many students.
Kody Jones, a junior majoring in marketing and Spanish, attended the Madrid program in 2016. “In a classroom setting, you do speak, but there are only so many opportunities because it’s a full class.” Learning in Madrid, she said, “definitely differed from learning in a classroom because you’re constantly immersed in it [Spanish] everyday,” as the language is an integral part of the daily routine. “You wake up, and you’re speaking Spanish; you get a cab, and you’re speaking Spanish; you go to work, and you’re speaking Spanish there,” she said.
Laura Twomey, a junior psychology major and Spanish minor, was a participant of the 2017 Madrid program and has a similar experience. “You are learning and speaking Spanish all day every day and a classroom can’t really compare to that kind of learning experience.”
They also agree on the essential role played by Ruiz for the success of the program.
“My study abroad experience would have not been anything like how it was without Dr. Ruiz,” said Jones. “It’s important to have a professor there that you can trust, and that makes it so much more fun because they’re enthusiastic everyday and in everything they do.”
Likewise, Twomey was grateful for the devotion and energy Ruiz brought to the program. “I think one of his biggest impacts was his enthusiasm for the program,” she said. “You can tell with everything he does that he really cares about the program and his students on the program so much.”
Under the supervision of Ruiz, the 6-week summer program has flourished. Its success even led to the creation of the semester-long Fall Madrid Program in 2017. “What I’ve been discovering, what both programs, and the Fall in particular, have impacted me in many ways,” said Ruiz. "In terms of my teaching style, one thing that I’m becoming more and more is relaxed. But relaxed in a good way, meaning enjoying fully the company of my students in the classroom, which I always did, but with a little bit of self-consciousness in the past.”
In addition to the internship that students receive as part of the summer program, Ruiz teaches a three-credit course at the School of Business located in the Moncloa District of Madrid. With the addition of the fall program, Ruiz will now spend 7 months out of the year living in Madrid and teaching Trinity students studying abroad.
Launched in 2005, the Madrid Summer Program has enabled hundreds of Trinity students to experience a summer of learning and interning in Spain’s capital. At the center of the program is Dr. Bladimir Ruiz, associate professor of Spanish at Trinity University.
“There is something about creating a space that is not only a physical space in a classroom, but that allows for an interaction that is deeper than just sharing knowledge,” said Ruiz regarding his experience educating students in Madrid.
Ruiz has led the program for the past 9 years and is about to lead it for the 10th time in May. Through his decade long involvement with the Madrid Program, Ruiz emphasized the importance of learning outside the classroom. “I think what these programs are providing us with is the opportunity to have the classroom in the country and in the city, and to have the city as a classroom.” This kind of immersive learning outside the classroom also attracted many students.
Kody Jones, a junior majoring in marketing and Spanish, attended the Madrid program in 2016. “In a classroom setting, you do speak, but there are only so many opportunities because it’s a full class.” Learning in Madrid, she said, “definitely differed from learning in a classroom because you’re constantly immersed in it [Spanish] everyday,” as the language is an integral part of the daily routine. “You wake up, and you’re speaking Spanish; you get a cab, and you’re speaking Spanish; you go to work, and you’re speaking Spanish there,” she said.
Laura Twomey, a junior psychology major and Spanish minor, was a participant of the 2017 Madrid program and has a similar experience. “You are learning and speaking Spanish all day every day and a classroom can’t really compare to that kind of learning experience.”
They also agree on the essential role played by Ruiz for the success of the program.
“My study abroad experience would have not been anything like how it was without Dr. Ruiz,” said Jones. “It’s important to have a professor there that you can trust, and that makes it so much more fun because they’re enthusiastic everyday and in everything they do.”
Likewise, Twomey was grateful for the devotion and energy Ruiz brought to the program. “I think one of his biggest impacts was his enthusiasm for the program,” she said. “You can tell with everything he does that he really cares about the program and his students on the program so much.”
Under the supervision of Ruiz, the 6-week summer program has flourished. Its success even led to the creation of the semester-long Fall Madrid Program in 2017. “What I’ve been discovering, what both programs, and the Fall in particular, have impacted me in many ways,” said Ruiz. "In terms of my teaching style, one thing that I’m becoming more and more is relaxed. But relaxed in a good way, meaning enjoying fully the company of my students in the classroom, which I always did, but with a little bit of self-consciousness in the past.”
In addition to the internship that students receive as part of the summer program, Ruiz teaches a three-credit course at the School of Business located in the Moncloa District of Madrid. With the addition of the fall program, Ruiz will now spend 7 months out of the year living in Madrid and teaching Trinity students studying abroad.
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