Understanding culture through language

I came to Penn GSE because I wanted to work at the intersection of education and multiculturalism. What I found when I arrived was a program that uses languages as an entry point for understanding culture. By the time I graduated, I had tangible skills in building cross-cultural communities that I use every day.

My professors found different ways to approach the questions about language and identity. My Teaching Performance Arts for Cross-Cultural Education class was held in the living room of the Greenfield Intercultural Center. The setting put everyone at ease, even as we delved into weighty issues like how you can use body movements to explore pressing issues like racism and privilege.

The design of the Intercultural Communication program allowed me to test out the classroom learning in the field. And because Philadelphia is such a multicultural city, my learning didn’t stop at the classroom door.

Every ICC student takes part in a service learning project. I worked with YouthBuild Philly, which helps 18-20 year olds who dropped out of high school gain a diploma and valuable job skills. The students are drawn from across Philadelphia, and I learned from their different perspectives. I also worked with YouthBuild leaders and saw how they were able to create and continue to grow a successful program.

Penn’s Intercultural Leadership Program gave me a wonderful network of faculty, staff, and students from across the university. These peers became mentors. By my second year, I was ready to use the tools I developed in class to facilitate cross-cultural conversations on tough issues.

In my role at Wesleyan, I bring together students from different backgrounds and experiences to help them learn from one another and build a richer community. I would not be able to succeed without the foundation I received from Penn GSE.