I’m a different person with English than I was a year ago. At that time I didn’t speak much and could barely understand what people were saying. The most meaningful insight I have gained is: “If you can’t hear it, you can’t speak it.” Now I understand that it’s crucial to improve listening skills and speaking skills together.

As a Spanish speaker I have trouble with consonants at the end of words, certain vowel sounds, and word reductions. So I focused on those and I discovered new sounds and understand people better. It’s even easier for me to understand other English accents.

I found myself doing things in New Sound that I didn’t think I could do, like memorizing a power speech. I learned to embrace my mistakes and learn from them, and use my voice in a powerful way. Now I can be more expressive and use the right words, rather than just more words.