Mildred Gandy has always loved teaching. She began by offering tutoring in Spanish to students in their homes. “Their families were always so supportive, sometimes even preparing meals or snacks for me while I taught their children,” Gandy told the Katy Times in an email interview. “Those early experiences gave me the encouragement to continue teaching.”

When the pandemic hit in 2020, she could no longer teach in person, so she moved her lessons online. Around the same time, her husband encouraged her to turn her tutoring into a formal business. He handled all the technical setup such as phone lines, webpages, CRM, Stripe, and programming, while Gandy began connecting with people who wanted to learn Spanish through online platforms.

“That’s how Spoken Learning was born, in our small apartment where the living room doubled as our shared office,” Gandy said. “Soon after, we brought on our first teacher. From there, we grew to 80 students in our first year, and by our second year, we were teaching nearly 150 students. The interest and desire to learn Spanish has been truly inspiring.”

Over time, the innovative online language school based in Katy has expanded beyond one-on-one lessons to offer customized corporate programs for companies seeking to improve bilingual communication and professional-specific manuals and Courses which offer industry-focused training for lawyers, doctors, insurance agents, banking, and realtors, and U.S. citizenship test training. But Spoken Learning continues to serve individuals and families, including adults learning Spanish or English for career growth, travel, or heritage and parents who want their children to grow up bilingual, connected to their roots, or with an early advantage.

The company now has ten employees, and Gandy has turned her attention to business development. “Since our classes are virtual, we already serve students across the United States, Canada, Bangladesh, India, Russia, and France,” she said. “My vision is to make Spoken Learning a worldwide leader in corporate language training. We’ll continue building industry-specific programs that mirror real-world situations, making training practical and meaningful. With AI-driven tools and a customized learning platform, we’ll make learning even more flexible and impactful.”

She credits her team for the company’s success, especially in the early days during the pandemic. “Together, we chose to innovate instead of giving up,” she said. “Looking back now, I

can honestly say those difficult days made us stronger, more creative, and more united than ever.”

Gandy is active in the Katy community as an active member of the Katy Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce, and co-chair of the Katy Business Alliance. Spoken Learning also strongly supports nonprofits like The Sunshine Collective. She has also organized a Spanish conversation club in Katy where people who are learning Spanish can practice with native speakers and with other students at different levels.

Spoken Learning will celebrate its five-year anniversary with a special event from 1 to 4 p.m. on October 11 at the Katy Gardens, 1040 Schlipf Road in Katy. There will be delicious Mexican food and mariachi music, and Gandy promises “fun surprises.” The public is invited event and pre-registration is requested for the free limited-seating event. RSVP at https://SpokenLearning5anniversary.eventbrite.com.

“The next five years of Spoken Learning fill me with excitement,” Gandy said. “Our goal is not just to teach Spanish or English, but to create opportunities and connections that change lives.”