Lily Kazemi
Reporter
On Friday, Mar. 25 an assembly was held in the Wagner Room for Spanish students in Honors 4, AP Spanish and Spanish Conversation and Culture featuring local Hispanic business leaders. Panelists Dr. Alexander Hesquijorosa, Alex Martinez, David Neeleman, Eva Padilla, Cristina Ross, Agustin Saravia and Galadino Velasco talked about how Spanish has benefitted them in their careers and answered student questions.
The entire assembly, excluding one panelist who spoke Portuguese, was conducted in Spanish so students were able to practice their speaking and listening abilities in an environment outside the classroom. Spanish teacher Dr. Diane Cornwell, one of the primary organizers behind the event, said one of the key purposes was the real-world application. “[The other Spanish teachers and I] wanted our students to be able to apply the language they are learning and to see that it is a tool for communication,” she said. “It was important for them to realize that they can use it in the real life too, and it’s not just confined to the walls of the classroom.”
Mr. Martinez, an attorney, said he wants students to realize how beneficial learning another language can be when it comes to both future employments and daily life. “As Spanish becomes more prevalent, continuing with Spanish past high school will definitely open many doors for the students,” he said. “It’ll allow you to find a wide array of different jobs, for you’ll be able to work with people who aren’t necessarily fluent in English as well.”
Ms. Padilla said knowing both Spanish and English has proved to be a tremendous help in her own career as the Vice Chairman of the Mayer’s Multicultural Court. “In my position, being bilingual, and because Stamford does have so many bilinguals, I was able to help them in both languages especially when I do counseling,” she said. “I council many women who only speak Spanish, and some can’t even speak that language correctly.”
Sophomore Meghan Callahan said that the assembly taught her that learning the native language is crucial to fully enjoy an experience with another culture.”It’s a shame when you go to another country and they want to communicate with you, but you can’t completely understand,” she said.
Other students were also inspired to continue with their education in the language. “After listening to [the panelists]talk, it makes me want to go and actually be bilingual,” sophomore Margie Hahn said. “I will absolutely continue Spanish in college. Listening to others speak in Spanish is just so impressive.”
The panelists also pointed out that you don’t have to be fluent to reap benefits from the Spanish language. “The assembly really showed me that knowing even a little bit of Spanish can get you a long way – while being fluent could be nice, knowing some stuff is more beneficial than none at all,” senior Karl Reinhardt said.
Mr. Neeleman, founder of airline company JetBlue, let students know that learning Spanish won’t only be beneficial for educational and work opportunities, but also for volunteering ones as well. “It’s great to learn another language and be a part of another culture. Not only will you have the ability to make money abroad, but you can do so much charity work and help others,” he said. “You can build up something great like I did and say that it all started when you learned Spanish at New Canaan High School.”
Photos by Lily Kazemi
