Student Testimonials

"This program was as immersive as it could possibly be without actually being in Brazil... I always found myself speaking Portuguese outside of the classroom. In only eight weeks, I felt confident in my language abilities to say I spoke Portuguese."

—Alondra A., 2019 SIPI Alum

“Levi was an excellent teacher who made difficult subjects accessible. As someone with no background in Romance languages (and who had struggled initially with the workload with SIPI), I was apprehensive as the materials got more complicated. Levi made used comprehensive reviews and games to make sure that we could continue to progress. I felt very comfortable the whole time and really appreciated his patience in walking me through complicated materials. He also assigned a reasonable amount of work outside of class.”

—SIPI 2024 Student

“The emphasis on culture and history of the program as well as contextualizing the language from the past to present! The instructors were very nice, accessible and extremely knowledgeable and flexible. Bate Papo is fun to meet new people and practice. I also really enjoyed the long break in the middle of class because I was able to get a lot done during this time of day.”

—SIPI 2024 Student

"We regularly cooked, played, sang, and goofed around together, all in Portuguese. SIPI is much more than just a class - it's an invitation to engage with a community of joyful, fun-loving, curious, and kind Lusophones."

—Luke B., 2019 SIPI Alum

"SIPI has been an amazing program which increased my confidence and cultural competency greatly. The program provided me with a strong sense of community and lifelong language skills."

—Chandler M.

“Bate Papo was helpful. It was nice to speak to other speakers of Portuguese outside of classroom."

—SIPI 2024 Student