Professor emeritus Tony Moon and Rebecca Dominguez (Moon), ICS Spain

Tony Moon is both an emeritus professor at UTS, and the father of Rebecca Dominguez, a BA IS/ B Communication (Public Communication) student who undertook her In Country Studies in Spain in 2002.  He reflects on Rebecca’s experience from the parent’s perspective.

“Rebecca started at UTS in 1999, enrolling in a BA in Public Communications after taking a year off between high school and university to work and travel around Europe and Asia.  

Once at UTS she soon realised how interesting and valuable a BA (International Studies – Spanish Language & Culture) would be to her university experience and joined the program in her second semester of her first year. In 2002 she went to Malaga, in southern Spain, for her 12 month in-country study. International Studies always chose locations, such as Malaga, where students couldn’t rely on English being spoken. Rebecca describes the early days in a new city in arranging accommodation, enrolling at university, opening bank accounts etc. with limited experience in speaking everyday Spanish as very challenging.

Mid 2002 I visited Rebecca in Spain. The car rental company didn’t have the car I had booked. I came to appreciate the value of an immersion approach to language learning when Rebecca was able to remonstrate with the company representative in fluent Spanish, demanding that he find a car pronto, and for the inconvenience caused, he should provide an upgrade as well (he did). These early challenges ultimately facilitated the rapid immersion in the language and helped to form Rebecca’s ongoing outlook on life and the great gains that can be made when thrust into unfamiliar and difficult situations.  While I was in Spain, I had the opportunity to read Rebecca’s first In-country assignment “Practicing Religion or Practicing Traditions” on Semana Santa (Holy Week, Easter), including an interview in Spanish with a local Catholic bishop. This week is noted for its religious floats carried by locals who compete for the privilege.

Following her graduation in May 2004, Rebecca worked in Global Communications in Sydney, New York, Boston and Portland. After her husband (whom she met in Spain) finished his PhD in 2010 they moved to Portland, Oregon, and in 2017 to San Jose, California, where Rebecca Dominguez now teaches Spanish. Their twin daughters are bilingual (they speak Spanish at home; English at school and elsewhere).“