My participation in the program has had a large impact on my life both personally and professionally. The program provided a medium for personal growth and taught me valuable language skills that will continue to be a valuable skill in my future as a PA.

- Lauren Temmer, Red Rocks Physician Assistant Program, Fall 2007 participant

The cornerstone of the Somos Hermanos Student Immersion Program is intensive langauge instruction.  Language instruction is conducted by a pool of university-trained Spanish instructors with specialists in all areas of grammar and for all levels of students (beginner through advanced). All classes are one-on-one and teacher-student pairs are rotated throughout the course of the program so that the students are exposed to a variety of teaching styles and idiosyncrasies.

Language instruction is divided into three phases:

Phase 1 (9 weeks): 4 hours a day, 5 days a week

Trip to Oaxaca, Mexico (1 week)

Spring/Fall Break (1 week)

Phase 2 (6 weeks): Weekly group discussion classes, Full-time volunteer projects

Trip to El Salvador (2 weeks)

Phase 3 (4 weeks): 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, Completion of a thesis in Spanish on the topic of choice relating to Latin America, immigration, health care, or other pertinent issues.