Manarola in Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy. John Jay student Terrence Levens advocates for students to embrace studying foreign languages. (Courtesy of Dan Fulop)
Since most juniors have college on the brain, it was no surprise when my friends and I began a conversation about foreign language and college admissions. As someone who is very interested in learning about different cultures, I am an adamant supporter of completing the entire John Jay language curriculum. It was a surprise, however, when the overwhelming majority of kids at my table expressed plans to drop their language prematurely. In fact, many claimed the only reason they were continuing with the subject at all was to satisfy graduation requirements and appease college admissions officers. It has become apparent to me that perhaps the real reason our students are not excited about language is because they have difficulty seeing its value.
In our sheltered community, it is very hard for John Jay students to imagine a situation where we would have to use a langu………….