Capstone:How Learning Different Languages Changed My Life

I basically talk about how I went from being a depressed kid who's father has been in prison for most of their life. To learning different languages and going out of the country really changing my life for the better. Growing up, I was a real odd ball and didn't know why. When I started to learn ASL and French was when I realized what I wanted to do. I always wanted to become a medic in the military, but now I think I want to either be a medic and a translator or just a translator, and I explain why.

Hello, my name is Emily Malone. For my capstone I'm going to be talking about how learning different languages changed my life for the better and how it has changed my career path.

Over the last four years I have been learning three different languages: French, Spanish, and ASL. I believe that the most influential language that I have been learning is ASL.

Growing up I always believed that I was different from other kids my age. Though it didn't phase me, a huge thing that was different was that everyone had a father who was there for them everyday. My dad has been going in and out of prison since I was five years old.

I have always felt out of place with some of my friends never really knowing why. Nor did I know how to fulfill the empty space I felt.

My sophomore year I started to take French. It was a little bit hard for me to learn French, it still gave me a sense of relief. Going to France that summer really opened my eyes to what life could be like when I learn more than just French.

Our group stayed with pen pals that we had been writing to all year. Some of our pen pals learned a lot of English phrases. Some of them were fluent in Spanish and English as well as French.

And that is when my eyes opened up to the opportunity of speaking other languages.

A huge help for me learning a new language was an app called “Duolingo." It is an app that teaches you the general basics of a language. It has about 35 different languages on it, from French to Turkish to Navajo to Arabic to Romanian.

Madame Doss recommended this app to me a couple of months before we went to France and I have been using it ever since. It's really fun to use. and really easy. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn another language.

Now it's two years later and I am almost completely fluent in American sign language (ASL). I have continued learning French and Spanish.

Ever since I have become fluent in ASL I have seen the impact it has had on my life and on others as well.

At my work I have seen people with many different backgrounds come into my store—people from places like France, Spain, Scotland, Ireland, and many other countries.

I hope to learn more languages over the next several years. My plan is to become fluent in at least five languages by the time I am 36. Being able to learn different languages has been really interesting for so far.

In the future I plan on expanding my knowledge of other languages so that when I join the military I can become a translator.

Growing up I always wanted to become a doctor like the ones in Grey’s Anatomy. I always wanted to go into the military as well, but ever since I started learning new languages I have wanted to become a translator. Whether I am a translator or a medic, I think it would really be cool to change the world. I have been through a lot. But I don't believe at all that this is close to the end.

Because of the stuff that I have been through and what I have witnessed as a child I plan on being something apart from being “another statistic,” or being tied down by the choices of my parents over the years. I don’t want to live with a cloud hanging over me. Over the years I have chosen to lead my life down a path of darkness, pain and despair, because of my dad being a drug addict and being in prison for most of my life, and my mom was always working.

Growing up I was always in a pit of anger, or in a place where I have always been angry, depressed, or felt some sort of self-pity. Sometimes all three. But since I have experienced things like going to France. Or coming to TSAS. Or simply learning a new language. I have found myself able to enjoy life’s many blessings. Like enjoying family night with my siblings and my mom. Enjoying the time I have with my older brother, John, whenever he is home from the Navy. And spending time with my little sister that I do not see that often anymore do to the Pandemic going on currently.

The thing is, I am trying to change my life. Like I have said earlier I don’t plan on being just “another statistic.” If I end up being just a statistic, then I want to be a statistic that helps change the world.

Emily Malone 2020
House	STEM
Advisor	Suzan Ozkilic
Plans	Languages, Medicine
Advice	Learn how to manage time. Learn how to think of ideas now. Don't wait until the last second to turn stuff in.
Type	Text
Subject	Languages
Discipline	Language Arts

How It Began

Originally I wanted to just talk about how I learned ASL. And essentially just my opinion about learning different languages.

How It Changed

I went from talking about my path from learning ASL to talking about my childhood and learning three different languages.

Reflection

I learned how to manage time better and how to not wait until the end to do my project.