Aleya is our first incoming 2021 cohort member to contribute to our LTS blog this academic year. She is pursuing the LTS MA to prepare herself to support learners beyond the classroom.

Hi Aleya! Tell us a little about yourself – where are you from and what you like to do for fun?

Hello! I’m Aleya and I’m from the Willamette Valley (Albany/Corvallis area) here in Oregon. For fun I like to travel with my sister, do digital art, take care of my houseplants, listen to international music (especially Korean R&B), and read. I’m currently growing tiny orange trees in my apartment. They started from seeds this summer and I’m very proud. I love trying new things and am currently taking a kickboxing class because I’ve always wanted to. This year I’m also hoping to take advantage of the UO Craft Center, get back into pottery, and learn more about woodworking.

Tell us the story of what led you to the field of language education. Why did you decide to do an MA in LTS?

I got my undergraduate degree in Linguistics from UO a few years ago and made lifelong friendships with four students from that major. One of whom, Ellie Collins, did the LTS program this past year and told me about it when I was sharing some of my language interests – including my wish to study language retention and provide a space for learners to continue their second language use outside of the classroom. She told me how customizable the LTS program was and mentioned that it might be a good fit for me even though I wasn’t particularly interested in teaching language myself. I was intrigued and met with Keli Yerian, the LTS director, and Jeff Magoto, the former Yamada Language Center (YLC) director, over the summer to talk about the LTS program and whether it might prepare me for work at a language center. I received encouraging answers and was excited to apply!

Your background in Linguistics and language center interests led to some good graduate employee (GE) opportunities for you – can you tell us more about what you’re doing with those?

My undergraduate degree in linguistics gave me the opportunity to work as a grader for Doris Payne’s LING 150: Structure of English Words course. I was grateful and excited to receive the position. I took an extra course over the summer in order to give myself more time this fall, with the intent of doing internships with both the Yamada Language Center (YLC) and The Center for Applied Second Language Studies (CASLS). I got connected with Robert Elliott, the new YLC director and it came up that the YLC might be approved for a much-needed GE position, and I might be a good fit for the job. After an unpredictable few weeks, it worked out that I could split my GE in half, working half the time as a grader for the Linguistics class, and half the time working with Robert on the YLC’s needs analysis. This week I’m working on designing an undergraduate survey about the center’s various services for the YLC position and grading the first big assignment for around 250 students for Doctor Payne’s class. I’m learning so many new things this term and the two positions certainly keep me on my toes.

What about your own experiences or observations led you to wanting to work on language retention?

I was able to study abroad in France in my last year as an undergrad. In the program, I made international friends, finally began to connect my most-studied non-native language to my identity, and experienced what it was like to be surrounded by a non-English language daily. I graduated shortly after I returned to the U.S. and found no space in which to use this part of myself. As time went on, I could feel my skill slipping and was hesitant to use my French skill on the rare occasion the opportunity arose, for fear of not recognizing the language coming out of my mouth. Looking back over my history with language learning, I identified the same pattern, though more severe, with the Spanish I studied in elementary and high school, and the Russian I studied in college. My family and friends, who had learned multiple languages and/or lived abroad for several years, rarely used any language but English. I began to wonder how many other people speaking English around me were actually multilinguals navigating monolingually. My interest in language retention and language centers came from my constant wish to use my languages, but feeling how much of them I had lost, and struggling to find places to speak them in an English-dominant society.

You are an experienced UO student and Eugene resident – what tips or advice would you give people who are new to the university and area?

Visit the Oregon coast at least once, more if you can. Dress warmly, bring a picnic, go at multiple times of day. It has a quiet calmness that always makes for good memories. As for campus, explore buildings even if you don’t have classes there. UO is full of so many corners, hidden hallways, walkways, landings, etc. Wander around and try new places to study. Also, carry an umbrella if you want to. It rains a lot, and the folk idea that true Oregonians don’t use umbrellas is silly. Stay dry, stay warm, stay healthy, stay happy.