SU Tertulia Student Organization Helps Teach Spanish through Film
Southwestern University’s newest student organization aims to help students learn conversational Spanish through watching and discussing popular films.
When Sabina Martinez Carreon ’28 was first introduced to Southwestern University’s Professor John Score II Learning Commons during her Advanced-Entry Seminar, she knew that she wanted to help other students learn her native language of Spanish.
“When Sabina first came in for the Learning Commons module during her AES, we presented all of the tutoring services that we offer and at the time, we had two Spanish tutors,” Coordinator of the Professor John Score II Learning Commons Laurel Mulkey ’24 recalled. “She came up to me immediately after and said ‘do you want another Spanish tutor?’ Sabina came in and had such a great attitude. It was clear that she would fit really well in that role here.”
Although she is studying biochemistry with plans to attend medical school after graduation, Martinez Carreon’s role as a Spanish tutor in the Learning Commons allows her to help her fellow students gain a better grasp on the language that she grew up speaking. Martinez Carreon transferred to Southwestern in 2024 after earning a degree in biological engineering from Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in her hometown of Mexico City.
“It’s very important for me to keep practicing the language that I grew up with,” she said. “Being able to talk about something non-academic in my language, I appreciate that a lot. As a tutor, when I’m teaching in Spanish, it’s all academic. But being able to talk about something else in a different context is something that I enjoy. I’m a very social person. I really enjoy connecting with people.”
The Learning Commons is a one-stop-shop for students to access important resources and services that will enhance their academic, personal, and professional success. The space provides students with individualized and focused support and attention that they need to be successful in their coursework and beyond.
Throughout her time as a tutor in the Learning Commons, Martinez Carreon noticed that students often seek assistance less with reading and writing comprehension and more with speaking the language. Countless students expressed their nervousness about making a mistake and being judged when in a classroom setting. One of those students was Kimble Gould ’28, who is beginning her journey toward learning Spanish.
Like Martinez Carreon, Gould is studying biochemistry with plans to pursue medical school following her undergraduate journey. She serves alongside Martinez Carreon as a tutor in the Learning Commons, specializing in biology.
With Martinez Carreon’s first-hand experience of where students struggle the most with speaking Spanish and Gould’s own personal journey of learning the language, the duo set out to develop an avenue for their fellow students to practice conversational Spanish in a relaxed, low-stakes environment. From there, the idea behind SU Tertulia was born.
One of the newest student organizations on campus, SU Tertulia invites students to come together to watch popular movies and engage in meaningful discussions, all in Spanish. The organization’s mission is to foster a supportive and judgement-free space where students feel encouraged to practice their Spanish skills, embrace mistakes, and learn from one another.
“Learning a language is difficult, no matter the language or the level,” Martinez Carreon said. “We wanted to get rid of some of the complexities and make it as simple as possible, to allow students at any level to practice their Spanish with people who are comfortable with each other. We want this to be a space where students are comfortable talking in a different language and know that it’s okay to make mistakes.”
A “tertulia” is a social gathering, commonly associated with the arts, in which friends gather to interpret and discuss topics such as art, literature, film, and current events. Several times a semester, the organization meets to watch and discuss lighthearted, often familiar children’s movies so that students can focus on the language and the vocabulary rather than the themes of the film. The organization is open to all students, regardless of Spanish proficiency.
“It’s especially designed for people to practice, so anybody within the entire spectrum is welcome, from those just starting to learn to those having spoken it for years,” Gould said. “I relate to a lot of our audience that has taken Spanish classes and are somewhere in the middle of learning the language, but hasn’t necessarily had a lot of opportunities to practice, or maybe doesn’t quite feel comfortable practicing. I’m hoping that in doing this, we can all practice together.”
The original vision for SU Tertulia was a one-time showing of a film in the Learning Commons to allow Spanish students an opportunity to connect and practice speaking. When Martinez Carreon and Gould first presented their idea to Mulkey, she believed it could blossom into something bigger than a singular event.
“I saw a lot of potential for it to be a continuous thing as a student org,” Mulkey said. “It was entirely up to them to decide what they wanted to do with it, especially within their capacity as busy STEM majors, but I thought it would be something that a lot of students would benefit from regularly. I was really trying to encourage them to see it as a continuous opportunity that they could build on and keep working on.”
With her support, Martinez Carreon and Gould invited Mulkey to serve as the organization’s staff advisor. As their advisor, Mulkey is able to provide advice and guidance, and make connections across campus, including with the Spanish Department.
“When Sabina and Kimble brought this idea to us, I thought it was the perfect way to engage with the Spanish Department and collaborate with them more closely,” Mulkey said. “I also saw this as a great opportunity to engage with the student body in a way that isn’t directly tutoring or directly writing consulting, but is still academic and working to improve their overall academic prowess.”
As both a Southwestern alumna and the Coordinator of the Professor John Score II Learning Commons, Mulkey has a unique vantage point to understand the student trepidation that Martinez Carreon witnesses as a Spanish tutor. For many students seeking assistance with speaking the language, one common problem often emerges: what topics to discuss that will help them learn the language better.
“The club is the perfect middle ground,” Mulkey said. “There is a purpose: to watch this movie and talk about these specific words. There is a greater purpose that leads back to tutoring, to Spanish learning, and to Spanish speaking. Having that sort of structure helps make it more comfortable for other students to know that it’s not up to them to come up with the thoughts or the sentence structure. It’s coming from the movie they watched and then they can play off of that.”
SU Tertulia officially launched this fall, with the first meeting featuring a screening of Hocus Pocus in October. The organization’s next meeting will be held on Friday, December 5 at 2:00 p.m. in the Learning Commons and will feature a screening of the classic holiday film Home Alone. More information can be found through the SU Tertulia Instagram page, @su.cine.tertulia.
“What I think about a lot, from when I was a student to now working with students, is that so often, students are balancing their time,” Mulkey said. “They only have so many hours in a day to do things. When it comes to Sabina and Kimble putting time into this club, that means they’re sacrificing something else. The students coming here to get tutoring, they’re sacrificing something else. I want students to know that we greatly value that sacrifice and we want it to be worth it every time they come to the Learning Commons.”
Southwestern University published this content on December 04, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on December 04, 2025 at 17:36 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]
