Spanish student spotlight

Marley Mainelli
MAY 10, 2024
# Study # Speak! # Journey

Marley Mainelli

Sports Nutritionist Marley Mainelli was inspired to learn Spanish to better communicate with Spanish-speaking baseball players.

“I plan on continuing lessons until I can speak Spanish fluently at a conversational level! 

I hope this will allow me to better serve my athletes and hopefully work at one of our Spanish-speaking facilities one day.”

- Marley Mainelly

Marley, tell us a bit about yourself by way of introduction.

Hi, my name is Marley and I am currently a kinesiology student at the University of Virginia. Following my graduation this May, I will be attending the University of California Berkeley to get my Master's in Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics. I plan to work as a Sports Nutritionist following my education..

Could you tell us about any previous language and travel experiences?

Before learning Spanish, I took German for 7 years! I enjoy traveling (I lived in Australia for six months and have visited over 10 countries!) so knowing a second language has always been important to me..

You took an individual course to get ready for Pasaporte 2 in a small group. How did the one-on-one experience differ from the group lessons and what did you enjoy about each style?

Working one-on-one with Franco enabled me to work at my own pace. I got more individualized practice and learned more in a singular session than I would in a group session. However, I really enjoy the group classes because I can practice my Spanish with other beginner learners. The classes and homework are structured to be easily fit in with the busy schedule of a student or professional.
I enjoy the wide variety of activities we partake in (watching fun videos, vocabulary-matching games, break-out room conversations) and sharing my Spanish-learning experiences with people in my local community! I also love that Franco is from Argentina so, not only is he able to share his language with us, he can share some of his culture! 
Travel (and language!) lover, Marley (left) with a friend in Bali.

What initially inspired you to learn Spanish with Speak!? Are your goals more personal, professional or both?

I work in professional baseball (go pirates!) and a lot of our players come to the U.S. from the Caribbean islands. I started learning Spanish so I could speak with some of the players in their native language and be of greater support to them...

What are your Spanish speaking goals? How do you dream of communicating in Spanish now and as you gain even more fluency?

I plan on continuing lessons until I can speak Spanish fluently at a conversational level! I hope this will allow me to better serve my athletes and hopefully work at one of our primarily Spanish-speaking facilities one day! In the near future, I would like to travel through South America for a month to fully immerse myself in the language! Learning Spanish has expanded my personal and professional opportunities. 

How would you describe Pasaporte to a friend?