Learning a new language takes time and lots of patience and practice, especially speaking it with another person.
When Kathryna Gonzalez moved to Los Angeles from New York in 2019, not long before the pandemic, she says she realized she was losing her Spanish.
She sought a way to build that community she was seeking herself where she says she could reconnect with her roots and maintain those connections after moving away from home.
“I think the most important thing is to just put yourself out there and make new friendships and practice your Spanish,” Gonzalez said. “And be vulnerable, because we’re all learning, and it’s pretty fun when you do it with community.”
Gonzalez says she learned to speak Spanish from her mother, who is from Ecuador, and her father, who is from Puerto Rico.
And after moving to LA, she added that “I had to find those spaces. They weren’t just there for me.”
She started the Spanglish Social Club at the end of October of 2025 when she posted her first video on TikTok.
Gonzalez explains that she was looking for women that lived in the LA area that also wanted to practice their Spanish, adding that she was surprised to see how many women were looking for the same thing she was.
The group aims to create a safe, judgement-free zone for women in the LA area to practice their Spanish through a variety of events.
“I think that anyone who wants to learn Spanish should. I think it’s so amazing, especially here in America. I feel like if you’re going to be bilingual, Spanish is a great second language to pick up,” Gonzalez said.
For someone like Natalie Serrano, who works from home and is new to the LA area, she says finding this group was a great opportunity to make friends.
“All ladies, everyone’s very nice and friendly, and you can just practice and feel no pressure and feel no judgment. And truly, truly, everyone is wonderful,” Serrano said.
Through the Spanglish Social Club, Gonzalez hosts her own events that include activities like museum visits, hikes and dance classes.
She also hosts what she calls “Cafecito y Chisme” pop ups, events where women gather and chat about anything and everything, in English or Spanish (or both in Spanglish) over a cup of coffee.
Allison Cronan, who attended one of these coffee events, explains that she is learning Spanish to communicate with her fiance and his family who are from Argentina.
“I’ve been taking some classes, but I find that practicing with people is the best way to learn,” Cronan said.
For others, a group like the Spanglish Social Club is a way to reconnect with their culture.
“I didn’t grow up speaking it and so I’ve been wanting to learn and practice, and I’m just so happy that my best friend is the one who created it,” Sabrina Quijano said.
And for those who can’t attend in person? The group also hosts virtual events with a Spanish tutor who calls in from Buenos Aires.
“We have a large mix of Latinas, but also women that just have an appreciation for the Hispanic and Latino culture, and they want to learn Spanish,” Gonzalez said.
The Spanglish Social Club can be found on TikTok. Anyone interested in joining their future events can sign up here.
About the Author
Discover more from USA NEWS
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
