
When one our students ask us when was our Spanish school was founded they do not believe the answer we give them. It is difficult to believe how in such a short time an institution has reached such level of excellence. At Habla Ya Spanish Schools we know that this has been possible thanks to the team that we have been able to put together. Each and one of them are huge professionals on their own and have made a valuable contribution to make Habla Ya Panama Spanish Schools what it is today.
Here is a summarized storyline of Habla Ya's history:
- April 2005. Explorations were made by Sergio Díaz and Julio Santamaría throughout Panama to find the ideal location for Habla Ya's first Spanish school.
- May 2005. Initial business plan was developed.
- June 2005. Boquete was chosen as Habla Ya's first plaza. Carlos Raúl Cabrera joined the team of founders and was appointed as the first School Director of Habla Ya Panama Spanish Schools Campus Boquete.
- July 2005. Lucía Alvarado Cantero, a Spanish teacher from Costa Rica with 5 years of experience joined Habla Ya as its first Academic Director and gave the first training to our Spanish teachers.
- August 2005. Habla Ya Boquete opened its doors to the public.
- January 2006. Irma Changmarín Isaza was hired as Habla Ya's Academic Director after taking the course for teaching Spanish as a foreign language at the CLIC IH Sevilla in Spain. She then trained our teachers in the use of the Communicative Method and developed our level system and syllabus under the guidelines of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
- November 2006. We began to work with our first agent: ISLS from New Mexico, U.S.A.
- January 2007. ESL, an agent from Switzerland, who has been constanly short-listed and has also won the LTM Star Agency Awards in Europe, visited our school and chose our Spanish school in Panama to be amongst their Spanish schools.
- April 2007. Our Spanish school moved to a brand new building, only 2 blocks away from our old Spanish school, still on Boquete's Central Avenue within downtown. This new building represented a 50% growth in facilities and our new physical premises have the quality of an international first class language school.
- November 2007. Cactus Languages, one of Europe's top 4 agents, selected Habla Ya as their Spanish School in Boquete
- March 2008. Julio Santamaría, CEO of Tourism Generation, Inc., became Habla Ya's second School Director and Carlos Raúl Cabrera, former Director, went out to found Explora Ya, Ecotourism & Adventure Travels, an initiative that was also part of the Tourism Generation, Inc. group.
- August 2008. Lorena Pitt, became Habla Ya's third School Director and Janeth Martínez, was appointed as the new Academic Director.
- January 2009. Added four new classrooms to our Campus in Boquete to make a total of 10.
- December 2010. Added four new classrooms to our Campus in Boquete to make a total of 14, and expanded teachers' and students' area.
- January 2011. Habla Ya Campus Boquete becomes part of the select group of Official DELE Examination Centers in Latin America.
- July 2011. Added two new classrooms to our Campus in Boquete to make a total of 16, and expanded students' area.
- September 2011. Habla Ya Boquete Campus gained accreditation by the Cervantes Institute, the worldwide authority for teaching Spanish as a foreign language.
- October 2011. Habla Ya Bocas del Toro opened, with 8 classrooms.
- January 2012. Habla Ya Bocas del Toro Campus also becomes an Official DELE Examination Center in Panama.
- March 2013. Habla Ya Bocas del Toro Campus becomes an accredited Spanish school by the Instituto Cervantes. 4 new classrooms for a total of 12 in Bocas del Toro.
- December 2014. Habla Ya Panama City opens its doors to the public, with 11 classrooms
- July 2016. Habla Ya Panama City Campus also becomes an Official DELE Examination Center in Panama.