Angelina Wu has been taking Japanese classes at MIT since arriving as a first-year student.
“I have had such a wonderful experience learning the language, getting to know my classmates, and interacting with the Japanese community at MIT,” says Wu, now a senior majoring in computer science and engineering.
“It’s been an integral part of my MIT experience, supplementing my other technical skills and also giving me opportunities to meet many people outside my major that I likely wouldn’t have had otherwise. As a result, I feel like I get to understand a much broader, more complete version of MIT.”
Now, Wu is sharing her experience and giving back as a Global Languages Student Ambassador. At a recent Global Languages preregistration fair, Wu spoke with other students interested in pursuing Japanese studies.
“I could not be happier to help promote such an experience to curious students and the greater MIT community,” Wu says.
Global Language Student Ambassadors is a group of students who lead outreach efforts to help increase visibility for the program.
In addition to disseminating information and promotional materials to the MIT undergraduate community, student ambassadors are asked to organize and host informal gatherings for Global Languages students around themes related to language and cultural exploration to build community and provide opportunities for learning and fun outside of the classroom.
Global Languages director Per Urlaub isn’t surprised that the Student Ambassadors program is popular with both students and the MIT community.
“The Global Languages program brings people together,” he says. “Providing a caring learning environment and creating a sense of belonging are central to our mission.”
What’s also central to the Global Languages’ mission is centering students’ work and creating spaces in which language learning can help create connections across academic areas. Students who study languages may improve their understanding of the cultural facets that underlie communication across cultures and open new worlds.
“An engaging community that fosters a deep sense of belonging doesn’t just happen automatically,” Urlaub notes. “A stronger community elevates our students’ proficiency gains, and also makes language learning more meaningful and fun.”
Each student ambassador serves for a single academic year in their area of language focus. They work closely with MIT’s academic administrators to plan, communicate, and stage events.
“I love exploring the richness of the Arabic language, especially how it connects to my culture and heritage,” says Heba Hussein, a student ambassador studying Arabic and majoring in electrical science and engineering. “I believe that having a strong grasp of languages and cultural awareness will help me work effectively in diverse teams.”
Student ambassadors, alongside other language learners, discover how other languages, cultures, and countries can guide their communications with others while shaping how they understand the world.
“My Spanish courses at MIT have been a highlight of my college experience thus far — the opportunity to connect on a deeper level with other cultures and force myself out of my comfort zone in conversations is important to me,” says Katie Kempff, another student ambassador who is majoring in climate system science and engineering and Spanish.
“As a heritage speaker, learning Chinese has been a way for me to connect with my culture and my roots,” adds Zixuan Liu, a double major in biological engineering and biology, and a Chinese student ambassador, who says that as a heritage speaker, learning Chinese has been a way for her to connect with her culture and her roots.
“I would highly recommend diving into languages and culture at MIT, where the support and the community really enhances the experience,” Liu says.
