LTS

Language Teaching Studies Blog Site at the University of Oregon

Student Spotlight Juan Carlos

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Juan Carlos is current student in LTS who is graduating this Fall term.

Hello Juan Carlos! Could you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your interests?

Piyalli! Nehuatl notoca Juan Carlos González Zacarias. Nochan nican Eugene, Oregon. Hola mi nombre es Juan Carlos González Zacarias y vivo en Eugene, Oregon. Hello my name is Juan Carlos González Zacarias and I live in Eugene, Oregon. A little bit about me is that I am very passionate about languages and I like to learn new things every chance I get. I am fluent in three languages, Spanish, English and American Sign Language (ASL). Aside from education, I am a fan of sports (playing of course) and I like to play all of them, especially soccer and swimming. When I was little I also did gymnastics and wrestling, and I competed once. I did alright. I was shy for the most part, but I overcame that. In my sports adventures, I got selected to play soccer in a team from Mexico City. I loved it and I could have become a professional soccer player. Then, I played American Football for a short period of time.

You were a Linguistics undergraduate major, right? How did you become interested in Linguistics?

This is a good question. Yes, Linguistics was my undergraduate major. Many people misunderstand Linguistics and often think that by majoring in Linguistics, you will learn a lot of languages and focus on the learning portion, so I also thought that lol. But that is not what Linguistics is about. It focuses on the structures, rules, analysis, and evolution in languages. My advisor from the community college where I graduated also thought that and she recommended me to take American Sign Language (ASL), so that is where I started learning my third language. My first term was very hard because I took ASL, French and two Linguistics classes. I passed all those classes, and I realized that Linguistics was the major that I want to pursue because I like to challenge myself and the Linguistics major makes you think and analyze a lot of languages from many places around the world. So, that hooked my curiosity to learn more about this field.

What was your LTS MA Project focused on?

My MA project focused on the Huastecan Nahuatl Language. I developed materials for teaching the Nahuatl language and Nahuatl Culture to Adults in prisons in the U.S. These materials are for low-level learners that can be adapted for higher levels and for different institutions with the use of technology. That way students can use more resources for their language learning.

I got passionate about this project because the Nahuatl language is endangered, I would like to help increase language speakers and because it should be my first language instead of Spanish. At the same time, I would like to inspire people around me to think that Native languages are as important as any other language in the world. I am very enthusiastic to start teaching this portfolio in the prison and other institutions and keep learning how to best teach participants.

What was most important to you about this project?

The most important thing about this project for me was that I learned so much doing it. When I started this MA project I did know not anything besides that it was spoken in Mexico and other states. I have learned that there are many different Nahuatl variants in Mexico and other countries. Also, it is spoken in various countries and it was the Lingua Franca from Mexico for over 300 years. The Huastecan Nahuatl is a fascinating language that currently I am learning. I want to become fluent and learn the culture to be a better advocate and a good educator for future learners.

Do you have any advice for current or future LTS students?

My advice for current and future students is that no matter what topic or language your MA project is about, be enthusiastic and learn as much as you can from it. Also, think what you want to learn for yourself and what knowledge you want to share or inspire in your future students. In the end, your goal will be to teach your language curriculum or language portfolio to students. Keep positive throughout this experience! 🙂

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