We’re asking students, recent grads, teachers, and counselors five questions on how languages play a role in shaping personal and professional success…
Meet Roshan—a rising 9th grade student at Randolph-Macon Academy (VA) who's learning Tamil, German, Punjabi, and Hindi.
With my international classmates, we share fun facts about ourselves and what we like to do. It teaches us not only to be tolerant of other cultures but also exchange ideas and cultural information about each other, which makes my school so unique!
1. Please tell us a little about your earliest experiences with languages, learning Tamil with family at home. What are some other ways that you use Indian languages outside of the traditional classroom?
I first learned the language at two years old when my mom used to sing nursery rhymes in Tamil to me. Since then, I've continued exploring Tamil in different ways—learning the alphabet at nine years old, and later downloading an app called "Language Curry" to help improve my knowledge and skills. I also picked up Tamil by watching famous Tollywood (the Tamil version of Hollywood) movies.
With my family, I have traveled to India four times. In 2023, we began in the capital city, New Delhi, and saw the famous Lotus Temple—worshiped by people of the Bahai’i faith and visited by almost 10,000 people every year. We then traveled to Amritsar in the region of Punjab where we went to the Golden Temple, the holiest place for the religion of Sikhism.
Lastly, we flew all the way to the city of Chennai in South India. This is where my mom and grandma were born, and we always stay at my grandma’s house. My mom showed us places that she used to visit often, and we also watched an Indian Premier League cricket game where the local cricket team won the game. I will never forget this trip, ever.
2. What is your favorite thing about learning German at school? Why should young people learn a language (or languages)?
For me, German has been one of the easiest languages to learn when I pay attention to the words. For our German class, we take notes, watch music videos in German, and complete homework assignments. Young people should take languages because it's interesting for them to learn about languages, culture, and history, and when they go to countries like Germany, France, or Spain they will be able to talk to the people in their native languages instead of using apps like Google Translate.
3. Tell us more about your school’s annual International Fair: What’s your role, and if you could share one or two things about Indian culture with all students what would they be?
The International Fair in our school takes place in the high school gym every March. My role is to arrive about 10 minutes before the actual event starts to help set up the tables for each country, including mine: When it starts, I always hang an Indian flag right behind our table to tell other people that we are of Indian descent.
I usually bring a board game like carrom and set up a table of Indian dishes like naan, chicken biryani, and butter chicken which all the students enjoy!
Something to know about Indian culture is that India has four major religions and for many Indian people religion is a way of life that is meant to symbolizes peace, faith, and tranquility. India has 22 languages recognized in its constitution, and more than 100 additional languages are spoken throughout the country.
4. What would you say is the best part about going to a school with many international students?
One thing about going to school with many students from different countries is that I can learn more about their culture and about what language they speak. I also really like to try the types of cuisines they eat because I am big foodie. For that reason, I love to learn more about their food culture and how it is different from others.
Since I have lots of friends from different countries, I get to learn more about how they grew up and which cities they were born in. With my international classmates, we share fun facts about ourselves and what we like to do. It teaches us not only to be tolerant of other cultures but also exchange ideas and cultural information about each other, which makes my school so unique!
5. What’s next on your language journey?
In the future, I plan to learn more Indian languages like Punjabi, Hindi, and Telugu, so I can become a linguist in Indian languages. I am also interested in becoming a historian and religious teacher.
I plan to take more German in high school to improve in my skills in preparation for one day going to Germany. Over the summer, I am learning Sanskrit since it is the foundation of Indian languages and a classic ancient Indian language. I plan to enroll in a summer camp and then continue Sanskrit throughout the school year.
BONUS QUESTION: Have you got a favorite word or expression in another language? What is it, what does it mean, and why did you choose it?
My favorite expression in Punjabi is “Chardi Kala." It means eternal optimism and never giving up in the face of struggles. I chose this expression because it symbolizes inner strength, courageousness, and resilience.
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