How Learning Spanish Helped a Missouri Public Health Administrator Reconnect - with People, Not Screens

 

Updated November 2025
Written by Carlos A. Rubí, Senior Digital Communications Strategist & Language
Education Writer at Spanish55

 

This is Joel’s story - a Public Health Administrator in rural Missouri who returned to Spanish after three decades, not for travel or career advancement, but to speak to people face-to-face, without a screen in between.

 

Watch Joel’s story in his own words.
In this interview, Joel shares why he returned to Spanish after 35 years, not for travel or career advancement, but to connect with patients face-to-face, without a screen in between.


 

In This Story

  • A Missouri Public Health Administrator rediscovers Spanish after 35 years to support patients who rely on him for comfort and clarity.

  • Weekly one-on-one online Spanish lessons with his private tutor, Widney, help him turn patience, consistency, and habit into real communication.

  • Small moments - from helping a stranded family to greeting patients warmly - show him what meaningful progress looks like.

  • Hearing challenges and reading difficulties haven’t stopped him; structure, discipline, and empathy keep him moving forward.

  • The connection he shares with his online Spanish tutor has reshaped his view of learning, culture, and the power of speaking someone’s language.

 

Choosing Human Connection Over Convenience

 

Out in rural Missouri, Joel Dermott works at a public health clinic where the stakes are often high and the words don’t always line up. Patients walk in with questions, with kids in tow, and more and more often, speaking Spanish. “Sometimes they’re holding a phone with a translation app,” Joel says. “But a screen isn’t a relationship.” That belief, simple, grounded, human, is what brought him back to Spanish after 35 years. Not for a trip abroad or a promotion. For connection. “I want people to feel like this is a good place to be,” he says. “And I don’t know how you do that if you can’t speak to them.”


Joel Dermott - Public Health Administrator in Missouri & Student at Spanish55

 

Returning to a Language He Once Loved

 

Joel had studied Spanish briefly in college and remembered enjoying it, but as he says, “Life gets away.” He went on to teach, to raise a family, to build a career… until years later, he found himself returning to that old classroom advice: you don’t learn a language unless you speak it. He now does it every week with our very own online Spanish tutor, Coach Widney Aguirre, who has shown ample patience, kindness, and an immense cultural depth, things that have helped him turn habit into skill. “She’s not just there going through the motions,” Joel says. “She listens. She knows about my family. And she teaches like it matters.”

 

Showing Up Consistently - For Himself and Others

 

He has also established one of the most consistent routines among Spanish55 students, with an 800-day Duolingo streak and a track record of rarely missing lessons. But for Joel, consistency isn’t about gamifying a goal, but about showing up for something that reflects who he is. “I want to be that person who makes someone feel at ease,” he says. “If I walked into a clinic in a country where I didn’t speak the language, I’d want someone to greet me. Few words can make a huge difference.”

 

The First Conversation That Changed Everything

 

That mindset also shows up outside the clinic. Joel tells the story of a family whose car broke down near his home not long after New Year’s. They didn’t speak English. He walked outside, offered help, and for the first time in decades, held a whole conversation in Spanish. Directions, reassurance, and a bit of warmth on a cold day. “It wasn’t flawless,” he says. “But it was real. And that was enough.” He laughs, recalling the son pointing back at him in surprise, calling out, “Mamá, mamá… ¡habla español!”

 

Measuring Fluency Through Real Moments, Not Perfection

 

As he sees it, those moments are the real reward. He doesn’t expect to reach immaculate fluency, and he doesn’t need to. For Joel, actually conquering Spanish means being able to ask how someone’s doing and understand the answer. It means stepping outside of his comfort zone and meeting someone where they are. That, he says, is enough. “If you can just have a little bit of that with another person, what more can you ask for?”

 

Overcoming Challenges With Patience and Structure

 

The path hasn’t been without obstacles. Hearing challenges have made listening harder. Reading in a second language has tested his morale. And going from teacher to student after decades of leading classrooms has meant letting go of control. But Joel has adapted. He reads lips in Spanish. He rereads texts several times. And with Widney’s help, he’s built a learning structure that fits how his mind works. “Discipline is key,” he says. “And accountability. I treat it like it matters, because it does!”

 

A Student-Tutor Relationship Built on Mutual Respect

 

What’s surprised him most is what he calls the unexpected exchange. “Widney is the same age as my kids,” he says. “I wondered how we’d connect.” However, through weekly conversations, a profound respect developed. They discuss family, faith, language, and history. He sees in her the same cultural care his college professor once urged him to value. In return, Joel shares stories about his own world. “It’s gone both ways,” he says. “She’s taught me, but I think I’ve taught her a few things too.”

 

Finding Hope in Every Conversation

 

That connection has shifted something deeper for Joel. “I’ve become a little more hopeful,” he says. He didn’t expect any of it. Not the friendship with Widney, not the stories, not the small moments of recognition that come from speaking someone’s language. But they’ve stayed with him. And after decades away from Spanish, Joel now sees it as something he’s part of. He has developed a way of relating to others that’s thoughtful, humble, and quietly powerful, without a single screen.

 

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Questions This Article Answers

  • How can online Spanish lessons help healthcare professionals communicate more effectively with patients?

  • What makes working with an online Spanish tutor valuable for adults returning to a language after many years?

  • Can small, everyday interactions build confidence for Spanish learners in clinical settings?