¿Habla usted español? Whatever the case may be, Spanish instructor Kyra Sovero, whose Adult School teaching positions include both the Older Adult Enrichment and Community Service programs, utilizes the wealth of her educational background and cosmopolitan experience to create a relaxed and supportive setting in which her students become immersed in the language and culture of the countries in which the language is spoken. The Advanced Spanish class that she instructs for the senior community at the Goebel Center is geared for those whose fluency is at the intermediate level and above. In addition to the conversational training, comprehension, reading and writing, the subject matter is centered primarily around Spanish-speaking countries and locations therein. A variety of activities—current events, literature, grammar and stimulating discussions—is used to motivate the class.

Having been born in France and raised in Argentina, with extensive travel in Latin America and Spain, Kyra is definitely an international woman of linguistic history. In addition to Spanish and French, she also speaks Russian, which she learned from her parents as she was growing up.

It was at UCLA that Kyra earned a Bachelor's degree in Spanish, with a minor in French. She continued on at the university to study Spanish American Literature, receiving her Master's degree as well as a secondary teaching credential. Her initial teaching experiences included stints at Berlitz Language Schools, UCLA and substituting for Los Angeles Unified School District. It was in 1979 that Kyra was hired at the Adult School to fill a vacancy for a Spanish instructor. In addition to the Adult School courses, she has also divided her time over the years teaching for the Ventura Community College District at the Oxnard and Moorpark campuses.

School teachers and other professionals attend her classes in order to acquire conversational skills as a necessity for their work, which is definitely a motivating factor. Others who travel or have relatives who speak Spanish find the classes extremely helpful in enhancing their ability to communicate. For her older adult clientele, it provides them with beneficial neurobic (neurological aerobics) mental challenges. "It's such a joy that the students want to attend classes to learn and that they have the maturity to do so," says Kyra. "They appreciate the opportunity to have such a course and are very enthusiastic, a reaction which is contagious." Her relationship with the students she teaches is mutually beneficial such that through her interactions with them, she has the opportunity to meet many people from different backgrounds.

Kyra's husband Emilio, who is originally from Peru, is a scientist-engineer whose work involves designing microprocessors. Their two daughters are both economists, one who is married with a child (and grandchild for Kyra and husband) on the way. Their son has followed in his father's footsteps to establish a career in engineering. All of them hold Master's degrees in their respective fields.

Outside of the teaching realm, Kyra pursues a variety of leisure-time interests and activities. She and Emilio enjoy doing a lot of traveling, which is sometimes combined with his master swimming competitions. Exercise is an important part of her routine, as is hiking in the local area, spending time with family, going to the movies--especially foreign films and eating out at various ethnic restaurants.

Language skills rusty--in need of fine-tuning or memory refreshing from Spanish spoken in a past life? Cognitively speaking, Kyra's classes certainly fit all who seek this type of self-improvement and educational enrichment to a ¡Sí!, and to that her students enthusiastically say "¡Muchas gracias!"

Interview & article by B. Kane