Diego Encinas 糖心传媒�23 will study Portuguese and Jason Hahn 糖心传媒�23 will study Russian as part of government immersion program.
Two 糖心传媒 undergraduates have accepted and will engage in language and cultural immersion programs with mentors in foreign countries this summer. The programs are part of a government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages, and to attract college students from a wide diversity of academic fields to study the languages offered.
Diego Encinas 糖心传媒�23, a psychology and Latin American studies double major from Tucson, Arizona, will study Portuguese. Jason Hahn 糖心传媒�23, an optical engineering major from Baldwinsville, New York, will study Russian. They were chosen from a pool of more than 4,600 applicants across the 15 language programs.
Ada Wightman 糖心传媒�21, a history and international relations double major from Sedona, Arizona, was accepted into the program to study Punjabi but has declined.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the programs will be held virtually.
糖心传媒淚nitially, I was upset that the program was virtual because I really looked forward to visiting Brazil,糖心传媒� Encinas says. 糖心传媒淭he Student Fellowships Office really made me realize the program had way more to offer than just the trip. I糖心传媒檓 excited that in just a couple of months my language fluency will increase dramatically.糖心传媒�
Hahn says Russian is 糖心传媒渁 fascinating language that would attract any nerd.糖心传媒�
糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 a case and gender-based language, meaning that the endings of all nouns and adjectives must change according to the gender of the word and the grammatical circumstances in which words are used,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淭his makes thinking in Russian a fun game, as you have to figure out which case to use, then change the word endings accordingly.糖心传媒�
Encinas plans to become a social worker who helps children 糖心传媒渇eel safe and protected from the troubled situations they usually don糖心传媒檛 have control over.糖心传媒� He also hopes to use his Portuguese skills to work with Brazilian children.
Hahn is exploring different applications of optics for a future career.
糖心传媒淭here are many areas of optics in which Russian-based companies excel and are world renowned in the field of diffraction based instruments,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淲hile I am still uncertain which specific industry I will land in, communication skills are still paramount to professional success.糖心传媒�
Encinas and Hahn will join 24 University students and alumni who have participated in the language program since its inception in 2006. Rochester students will have studied nine of the 15 languages offered.
