Nicole is our student spotlight this week! She is graduating this August.

Hello Nicole! Tell us a little bit about yourself and how your path brought you to LTS.

¡Hola! I’m Nicole and I’m an out-of-state student from California (go Bay Area!). My path to LTS was a little random, but I’m grateful to be here! In my undergraduate studies, I majored in Education and Psychology with a minor in Spanish, and it wasn’t until my junior year of college that I discovered linguistics. I have always been fascinated by language and how people make meaning, so during my gap year after graduation, I ended up searching for graduate programs related to linguistics. One of my coworkers, who ended up becoming a good friend, told me she was coming back to UO to do the UO Teach program and jokingly we said, “What if we went to the same university for a bit?” Serendipitously, I found the LTS program, was intrigued by the interdisciplinary approach to language offered in the program that also involved pedagogical training, and here I am!

What are you working on for your LTS MA project? What inspired you to work on this topic?

For my LTS MA project, I am conducting a research study in the hopes of publishing in the future, and gaining valuable experience that will help me in a future PhD program. My working title is “Who I am before: Chinese adult international adoptees’ orientations toward heritage language learning and their conceptualizations of a genealogical identity.” The inspiration for this work stems from my own identity as a Chinese adoptee whose own relationship with the Chinese language and Chinese identity has been complex. While the idea to conduct research related to adoption had always been in the back of my mind, it wasn’t until a critical conversation with my faculty advisor, Dr. Yerian, that I realized I could do this meaningful work now. 

Since December of 2021, I have been working on finding relevant literature to assess what has been studied, creating my own survey and semi-structured interview guide, identifying ways to recruit participants, and am now in the process of analyzing my data. Seeing this research come to fruition has been challenging, but even more so rewarding. I am thankful for the opportunity to work on something so close to my heart with an advisor who is equally invested and supportive.

How would you say your interests and focus have shifted over your time in the program?

Fun fact: I came into this program knowing that I did not want to necessarily be a language teacher. My experience prior to LTS during my gap year working with an organization called City Year greatly influenced this position of mine. I spent the better part of nine months working with a partner teacher and AmeriCorps member serving a class of 30 or so fourth graders on Zoom. As was the case in the 2020-2021 school year, the majority of our time was spent teaching and collaborating virtually. While this experience tested me as an individual in many ways, my most powerful memory involves one student from Guatemala who I worked with to teach him how to read and write in Spanish, his native language. I witnessed firsthand how many schools are not equipped to address the needs of students from underrepresented, under-resourced, and non-English speaking households. My desire to learn more about how to support linguistically diverse students – both in terms of how language is taught and how it is learned – brought me to the LTS program. 

Though I still do not picture language teaching as part of my future, I do believe I’ve had a metamorphosis of sorts.  This past year and a half, I have had critical conversations about the cultural value associated with certain languages and language varieties and have taken advantage of numerous opportunities to practice and refine the skill of crafting a coherent, engaging lesson plan. I have been inspired by my cohort members and their own passions, which in turn have given me courage and reassurance that research matters most when it’s intentional, personal, and impactful. I am walking away as a more confident curriculum designer, researcher, and learner.

You were a Graduate Employee during this last academic year. Can you tell us what you did and what you got out of those experiences?

Yes! I am ever appreciative of the opportunity to serve as a GE throughout my time here at UO. I served as both a Discussion Leader and a Grader for LING 144 Learning How to Learn Languages and LING 150 Structure of English words, respectively. In fall term, I worked with Professor Harinder for LING 144, creatively designing activities and learning experiences that would allow for students to connect class content to their personal lives. Professor Harinder was very open to collaboration and feedback, and I treasure the mentorship I received while working with her, especially as this was my first GE assignment. In winter term, I worked with Dr. Doris Payne as a grader for LING 150 which offered both an online and in-person option to 250+ students. I helped with scoring different writing assignments and giving feedback on what to improve. This GE position showed me more of the behind the scenes of how larger classes are managed, delivered, and assessed. Finally, in spring term, I was able to once again work with the LING 144 class, but this time with Dr. Keli Yerian. Due to my strong foundational experience helping with LING 144 in the fall with Professor Harinder, as well as the knowledge and skills I gained in the Curriculum Design course from winter term, my spring term as a GE was more hands-on. This time around, I was intricately involved in the re-imagining, structuring, and delivery of the course. Dr. Yerian was also very open to collaborating with me, and even permitted me to deliver a guest lecture on Metacognition one week. In addition to leading two discussion sections, I was grading assignments and giving detailed feedback, designing whole class activities, tracking attendance and late work, and updating/managing various Canvas sites for the course. The mentorship from working so closely with Dr. Yerian was invaluable to my growth as an educator and designer of learning experiences. Moreover, each GE experience brought along new students to meet and new stories to learn, and I am so thankful for all of my students who graciously put up with my antics.

What tips do you have for LTS students take advantage of at UO, in Eugene, or in Oregon generally while they are here?

Something I wish I had done more of was connecting with my cohort earlier on. Of course, this past year was rather unique as we were phasing back into in-person classes after the height of the pandemic, so COVID-19 impacted our ability to socialize. As I’m now able to hang out more with different cohort members and do non-related school things like exploring Eugene (aka mostly finding good spots to eat), I recognize the importance of establishing a supporti

ve network and reaching out to others. As a newbie to Oregon, as well, it’s been good for my mental, social, and emotional health to make memories here in Eugene with people who are in the same program as me. So, even if you’re an introvert like me, find your community and find some friends to go out and get some fresh air – or pizza!

What is a fun fact about yourself that others may not know yet?

Fun fact #2: I recently got into painting, maybe in 2020 during the pandemic, and it originally started as a way for me to save up money to study abroad! I really love painting cartoon characters, since realism is not a forte of mine. This picture to the side is of the first Hydro Flask I painted for a friend, who commissioned it for her boyfriend who was a big fan of Toy Story. Since that first one, I’ve painted more custom Hydro Flasks, some shoes, as well as AirPods cases. From a Minnie Mouse/Raiders theme to a Dumbo inspired Speech Therapy theme – my favorite part of painting customs is the creative process of seeing how different pieces could fit together, kind of like lesson planning! I look forward to having some downtime after the program to continue to work on my craft and get to painting!