Two standout seniors were among the over 140 students recognized at the annual Foreign Language Awards Ceremony on April 22.
Each year, the event honors the Foreign Language Honor Society’s new inductees and celebrates students’ accomplishments within the foreign language department’s 15 courses.
Kara Muehleck and Nina Osborne received special recognition this year for their continued excellence in foreign language learning.
Muehleck was announced as the Premio de Honor award recipient, an honor bestowed to a student who excels as a two-year Spanish Honors Society member.
Osborne, who began her foreign language learning in 8th grade, was awarded Dual Language recognition for academic achievement in college-level Advanced Placement Spanish and Advanced Placement German.
Foreign language building chair Mrs. Mary Esther Baldwin said the recognition ceremony is important because foreign language achievement is often overlooked.
“We’re an elective course,” Baldwin said, “and so we like to make sure that the parents, our staff and the community recognize these kids’ hard work [because they] are excelling in more than just the basics.”
That motivation to learn a foreign language—to go beyond the basics—Osborne said, stems from the opportunity to connect with others.
“I think foreign language is important to study because it opens so many doors…to people,” Osborne said.
Learning a second language, Osborne said, provided her greater context beyond her experiences in an “English bubble.”
Struggling through Spanish class, Osborne said, offered a sense of “mutual understanding.”
“When you hear someone who’s struggling with English,” Osborne said, “you have a lot more empathy because you understand exactly what they’re going through.”