Historically, Spanish heritage language (SHL) scholarship has had connections to communities with established Spanish-speaking populations (Rivera-Mills, 2012). Regional SHL course offerings have expanded in tandem with increases in Spanish-speaking populations; however, little is known about students’ experiences in these new and emerging SHL programs (Beaudrie, 2012; Potowski, 2016). This phenomenographic study explored the experiences of college students enrolled in linguistically heterogeneous SHL courses in the Midwest. The first analysis chapter emphasized the ways in which SHL curriculum did not adequately respond to students’ planned professional uses of Spanish. Participants’ reflections also revealed a focus on language forms instead of language functions and an imbalance in the treatment of speaking, writing, listening, and reading in students’ SHL classes. In the second analysis chapter, participants highlighted the importance of instructors’ facilitation of a sense of community inside and outside of the SHL classroom. Students also recognized the important role of the SHL classroom environment in the context of studying on predominantly White campuses. Community building allowed students to share their linguistic and cultural diversity with classmates and members of their local Spanish-speaking communities. The final analysis chapter focused on external and student-replicated deficit views of Spanish that impacted participants’ study of their heritage language. Students’ reflections also demonstrated some ways in which their instructors’ curriculum and classroom practices helped debunk deficit framings of Spanish. Finally, caring in the curriculum helped build students’ confidence and it promoted the value of Spanish. This study contributes to expanding our understanding of SHL curriculum and instruction in post-secondary settings from a student-centered perspective. The conclusions underscore the importance of including and respecting the voices of students in conversations about SHL education. To better respond to the social, affective, and linguistic needs of students, a holistic approach to SHL instruction is outlined in the discussion of the pedagogical implications.