This article discusses the unique situation of teaching an upper-level, undergraduate Spanish conversation course with a service-learning component at a large, public, urban university. With the help of service-learning literature and anonymous pre- and post-surveys, this study aims to offer some qualitative observations and advice on community-based learning for the non-traditional student. Even with the added effort in curriculum development and the imperfections of language instruction for non-traditional students, this article concludes that the implementation of service learning at the urban university can be a successful experience.