Tulsa Family Finds Connection in TCC Spanish Program

Multiple members of the Campbell family have now taken a Spanish class with Assistant Professor Miguel Da Corte. The family says learning Spanish together has strengthened their bonds at home and when traveling abroad.

Hudson Campbell originally signed up for a Spanish class at Tulsa Community College because he thought it would be useful.

“You can connect with people on a totally different level when you can speak their language,” explains Hudson.

At the same time, his brother Everett was taking Spanish I online. After hearing Hudson’s repeated praise for Assistant Professor Miguel Da Corte’s teaching style, Everett enrolled in Da Corte’s in-person Spanish II course the following semester alongside his brother.

“There’s so many more opportunities that can open up because you speak another language,” says Everett.

Soon, even more members of the Campbell family began appearing in Da Corte’s classroom.

“What a surprise that for the following semester, I had their mom and then their sister,” Da Corte says with a laugh.

Within a few semesters, brothers Hudson and Everett, mother Ashley, and sister Breese, have all taken at least one Spanish class with Da Corte. They say the shared experience of learning a second language has strengthened their family bond.

Connecting Through Language

The Campbell family’s interest in Spanish began years earlier during a season of international travel.

The family, including parents Ashley and Chris and children Corbett, Hudson, Everett, Breese, and Evann spent a year backpacking around the world. With one backpack each, they made their way through several Spanish-speaking countries.

The family’s homeschooling schedule gave them the flexibility to pursue extended travel together.

“We tried to learn a little bit of Spanish, and it was a lot of fun,” Hudson says. “People were super nice when we were trying to learn.”

After returning home to Tulsa, Hudson became increasingly aware of how often Spanish surrounded him in everyday life.

“I remember some of the ladies that work at our church. I’d tried to talk to them in the past and couldn’t because they only spoke Spanish,” he says. “So, for me, it was really about connecting with those people.”

Ashley had experienced similar frustrations while trying to communicate with Spanish-speaking friends.

“A lot of the apps teach you phrases, but they don’t teach you how to form those phrases on your own,” Ashley says. “I wanted to be able to talk to my friends. Not using an app, not looking at my phone. Just talk.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 11% of Tulsa’s population speaks a language other than English at home, with Spanish as the most commonly spoken non-English language.

Da Corte says learning another language allows people to see the world from a different angle.

“Sometimes it allows you to put yourself in the shoes of people who come here and have to learn a language to adapt to the culture,” he says. “Knowing how to find common ground with other people by communicating in their main language, I think that’s what makes a difference.”

Inside the Classroom

As the Campbells became more interested in learning Spanish, they quickly realized they wanted more structure and conversation practice than language-learning apps could offer.

“I kind of needed the structure. I actually needed due dates for doing things,” she says. “Seeing how much the boys’ Spanish improved, I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to do this alongside them.’”

As Ashley and Breese enrolled at TCC, they say Da Corte’s teaching style became a major reason they continued to learn Spanish.

“You can tell Professor Da Corte is there because he really loves teaching,” Ashley says. “In three semesters, it’s been very apparent to me that just as much as he wants his students to grow, he wants to grow as an educator."

Rather than focusing primarily on memorization, the family says Da Corte emphasizes conversation and practical communication skills students can use outside the classroom.

“Spanish class doesn’t feel like a normal college class,” Hudson says. “It feels more like, ‘Hey, here’s a bunch of friends that are all trying to learn Spanish together.’”

“Professor Da Corte really emphasizes speaking and working with your table and working with your groups to practice," explains Everett.

The family also praises TCC’s Language Lab, which offers free tutoring and conversation practice sessions for students studying world languages. Their experience reflects the growth within TCC’s World Languages program.

TCC offers students opportunities to study Spanish, French, German, and American Sign Language while developing communication and cultural skills that can support transfer, career, and personal goals.

Within the Spanish program, students can pursue a Spanish Associate of Arts degree or Spanish Certificate while also building language skills through newer offerings, including a Spanish Language Services Certificate, Elementary Spanish Microcredential, Spanish Interpreting Microcredential, and Spanish Translating Microcredential.

Da Corte says the expansion of the program is designed to make language learning more flexible and approachable for students with different goals.

“We now have something for everybody,” Da Corte says. “If you want something short and focused, we have microcredentials. If you want to continue, you can move into certificates or a full associate degree.”

Something to Share

Learning Spanish has become an unexpected way for the Campbell family to stay connected.

“When your kids get older, especially college age, everybody kind of has their own thing,” Ashley says. “Learning Spanish has been a family thing.”

The experience has given them something to continue learning and talking about together, both at home and while traveling abroad. During a recent trip to Nicaragua, Ashley watched Hudson and Everett navigate conversations and solve problems entirely in Spanish.

“There wasn’t a hurdle that we faced that one of them couldn’t talk their way through and figure it out for us,” Ashley says.

Now that Hudson and Everett have graduated from TCC with degrees in both Spanish and Business Administration, Ashley and Breese say they will continue learning from Da Corte.

Da Corte says the family’s shared commitment to learning a language has been meaningful to witness from the front of the classroom.

“They’re amazing human beings. I think all of them are using Spanish to craft their own story in their own way,” he says.