Many parents and students are unaware of the foreign language components required for graduation at most public and private Colleges and Universities throughout the United States. Varying degrees of proficiency in a foreign language have today become an important and necessary component of General Education requirements for all undergraduates. Few schools do not require demonstrated proficiency of all students in at least two semesters of the same college level language. Many require two years of demonstrated proficiency in a foreign language. Students at Pilares de Esperanza are offered an opportunity to complete coursework and gain proficiency equivalent to studying four semesters of college level Spanish. For advanced students, this study includes an optional six-week or longer immersion experience very similar to such programs as Intensa http://www.intensa.com at the end of their study. These students stay in local homes with families in the rural communities of Ceiba and Cascajal. This component of our foreign language program is a key to our success in helping students prepare for and fulfill not only their high school FL requirements of two to four years study but also serves to give them a jump start on completing the college requirement. In addition to the language benefits of this process, the cultural experience the students enjoy while living in the homes of these humble people will long be remembered. All homes and host families are approved and monitored for student safety.

Dr. Harold Dabel, as the administrator of Pilares de Esperanza, oversees the entire Foreign Language program, which includes the ESL (English as a Second Language) program offered for LEP (Limited English Proficiency) students and the community service outreach program for local area residents. Dr. Dabel worked as a professor for 14 years at Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina before accepting an invitation to lead our institution. He worked directly in various capacities with other student success programs�namely GEAR UP, Professional Development Schools, Lander University Student Academic Success Program, Specialty Schools and Programs, and Freshmen Orientation (Lander 101) course instructor. In these capacities, Dr. Dabel worked directly with students from the Middle School through the University level. These positions allowed him the opportunity to also work with parents, teachers, administrators and students from many diverse areas and backgrounds. This, as well as having raised five children in the United States, all who are successfully speaking Spanish as a second language, has helped him gain some insight into the challenges of second language acquisition. Dr. Dabel completed his graduate study in Spanish language, culture, and literature at the University of Utah (M.A.) and the University of California, Irvine (Ph. D.) and in nationally administered student evaluations has been ranked among the top ten percent of foreign language faculty in the nation.