I moved to Wisconsin in eighth grade, and transferred into a small school where the academics were very different from the 2,000 student middle school I came from in Florida. I moved into a class with students that had been learning Spanish since kindergarten at Swallow Elementary, when I had never learned any words past, “Hola, ¿cómo estás?”

To say the least, that year was extremely stressful; I had to keep up with students that, to me, were fluent in a language I had barely heard before. Going into high school, I knew it would be wise (for my college application) to take Spanish, but after that terrible first experience with the language, I came to dread it everytime I walked into class.

Flash forward three years. I have decided to minor in Spanish when I get to college.

Mrs. Coraggio, my Spanish III teacher at Arrowhead high school, has showed me every beautiful aspect of the language, and has helped me understand that just because something is foreign or difficult, does not mean that it is impossible.

Mrs. Coraggio teaches in a way that doesn’t even feel like school work and every class is filled with laughter and Spanish jokes. She has an answer for every question and her enthusiasm for the culture is apparent to all of her students.

But Mrs. Coraggio is far more than just a teacher; she is a friend. She is the person students feel comfortable talking to about anything, and she is an educator who sees the good in every student.

From the way that she teaches, she makes you want to be a better person; she talks about the importance of our roots, the influence of culture in foreign countries and she helps students see the beauty in ancient cultures. She has made me want to learn more about the world, and care more about what I am learning, rather than just memorizing a list of words and vocabulary to pass the class.

Every Friday she manages to get every student out of their seat and dancing like we’re at a discoteca. She skips the boring notes and instead teaches us through series of games and interactive activities, like Quizlet live — an interactive website in which students team up and race to pick the correct vocabulary before the other teams, that makes it seem like we aren’t even learning anything.

I am surprised by the abundant Spanish I have learned in the short eights months I have been in Mrs. Coraggio’s class. Thanks to her, I’ll be able to use the language and culture that she has taught me to travel the world and help third-world countries. I will be able to go past just volunteering time, but also have the ability to form relationships with people from the foreign countries I visit.

One day when I graduate from my dream college with a major in international studies and a minor in Spanish, it will all be thanks to her. What started out as a major source of stress in eighth grade has turned into my future source of success. So thank you, Mrs. Coraggio, you have helped me become a better Spanish speaker, but even more a better person.