2024 Why Do I Learn Languages Essay Contest Results

Content

An interdisciplinary panel of judges has selected six winners of the Why Do I Learn Languages essay contest, as well as two essays that garner honorable mention. More than thirty essays were submitted by students from across the campus who have been learning languages at UMass Amherst. Participants shared their experiences with language-learning and multilingualism and illustrated the impact of language-learning on their own lives and upon our communities. The essays submitted attest to the multitude of languages that are being learned across our campus, including Kreyol, Russian, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, French, Chinese, Portuguese, German, Persian, Arabic, and Ancient Greek. The winning submissions demonstrate the importance of having the opportunity to learn how another language will contribute to cultural development, communicative ability, and a broader understanding of ourselves and people throughout the world. Please join us in congratulating all those recognized below for their essay submission:
 

Winners of the Essay Contest:

Maxine Gemeinhardt, Linguistics 
Julie Lindfeldt, Biomedical Engineering/ German 
Evan Owens, Linguistics/Portuguese
Rebecca Shahrooz, Biology/Spanish 
Ken Takagi, History 
Andrea Tchesnovsky, Comparative Literature 
 

Honorable Mentions:

Piper Bo, Japanese/Theater 
Alexandria Galicki, Mechanical Engineering

Essay Contest

Why Do I Learn Languages Essay Contest Contacts:

Ela Gezen
Associate Professor of German, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

Teresa Ramsby
Professor Department of Classics