Paloma Garcia

Freshman Kaylee Roberts uses a translator on her phone. Many students use this to understand languages.

     Classrooms nationwide are seeing students studying and acquiring the skills to speak an additional language. This enhances diversity, enriching the school community and society at large. However, while the result can be beneficial to a broader community, the journey of becoming bilingual can come with its own set of obstacles for students. 

     The ability to communicate in two languages enables bilingual individuals to interact with diverse groups of people and express themselves through different cultures.

     “I feel like being bilingual is an accomplishment for me,” freshman Fransicsco Hernandez said. “[It helps me] open up to people.”

     Conversely, students whose first language is not English often find themselves hesitating in conversations and overthinking their responses to English natives. Sophomore Paula Llado Prat, for example, is an exchange student from Spain who faces this challenge, as her first language is Spanish.

     “A challenge I have faced with going to school in the U.S. is [overthinking] every time I want to say something,” Llado Prat said.

     Being bilingual presents both benefits and challenges in a school setting. On the one hand, it can make learning new concepts easier. However, bilingual students may also face unique obstacles, such as navigating between languages in assignments or managing cultural misunderstandings within the classroom.

     “I feel like in certain classes like Spanish, it can definitely be an advantage because I know how to speak it, [making] it easier for me to understand,” Hernandez said.

     “I think it helps, especially if you want to learn a new language. It helps you get to understand it better, and it allows us to have more diversity between us as a community,” senior Ayush More said.  

     Bilingual students often feel conflicting emotions. Some may feel the need to hide their language due to shame or lack of opportunity, while others proudly embrace it by sharing their culture and teaching their friends. 

     “I feel like I have to hide my language, because my teacher wouldn’t understand what [I’m] saying,” eighth-grade student Saianshh Raghuraman said. 

     Some bilingual students can find comfortable and safe environments to speak their respective languages.

     “I don’t feel the need to hide my language because I just say it to my friends at school who also speak it,” Hernandez said.

     Bilingual students can face challenges such as language barriers or cultural differences, but many have also said that it makes learning easier for them. Overall, most students are proud to be bilingual and hope to share their culture with others around the school.