Tag Archives: friendship

The Benefits of Bilingualism

By Nikhita Datar

Edited by Natalie Grace Sipula

[3 minute read]

The power of language is undebatable – it has the ability to break down barriers and connect people from different parts of the globe. Meeting someone who can speak the same language as you can be comforting as there is already an established level of familiarity with the person, and the more languages you know, the more common this experience is. Did you know that beyond communicating with more people, knowing multiple languages also has a lot of personal and scientific benefits as well? 

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash

According to an opinion piece in The New York Times by Yudhijit Bhattacharjeee titled ‘Why Bilinguals Are Smarter,’ “Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter. It can have a profound effect on your brain, improving cognitive skills not related to language and even shielding against dementia in old age.” So being bilingual doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re the next Albert Einstein (there are a lot of bilinguals in the world, but only one Einstein), but scientists and research have demonstrated that there is a connection between increased cognitive abilities and those who are able to speak more than one language. 

I was always aware that I was able to communicate with many people differently – I knew I would talk to my friends at school differently (in a different language) than I would my grandparents, but I never thought anything of it. I primarily speak English and Kannada (a language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in the southwestern region of India), and I can also speak some Hindi, Marathi, Spanish, and Korean. The majority of the languages I know I picked up from my grandparents and parents from a young age, so I learned them much faster. Knowing multiple languages has been a benefit to me because it has allowed me the opportunity to connect with a greater number of people, especially extended family that live abroad who I would have otherwise had difficulty getting to know. I can understand a greater amount of people, and it allows me to see humanity in a different and more nuanced way. 

Photo by Chris Benson on Unsplash

The Wall Street Journal wrote, “Bilingualism calls on capacities to learn the two languages, keep the sounds straight, switch deftly between them and so on.” Ideally as a bilingual you should be able to switch between the two languages you speak comfortably. For me, as much as I can switch back and forth as needed, the challenge lies in finding words that have a similar meaning in another language. Often times, my brain gets stuck on a niche word in one language that seems like it can’t be translated into the other language. The phrase, “I don’t know what the translation of that in English is,” is something I’m a little too familiar with. In these moments, I don’t exactly feel the improved cognitive function that is supposed to come with knowing multiple languages. 

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Growing by Leading

By Sabrina Hsu

Many college students hold on-campus jobs, waking up early in the morning to clock in a shift at the CSC or to pick up phone calls at various front desks. I work from my dorm. As an RA, every minute I spend inside the residential college building is a minute I dedicate to being a mentor and role model to all the residents within my community. It may seem tiring or tedious at times, but the reward gained from putting the time into this position is immeasurable.

I was lucky to be placed in a residential hall similar to the one that I resided in my freshman year, which provided me with a comprehensive understanding of what struggles freshmen living in suites may have. Residential Education, the office RAs “work” under, is a very inclusive and understanding environment. They allow everyone to develop their own style of leadership and interact with their residents in ways that best suits them. It is a nice feeling knowing that just by being myself, I am able to set an example and help someone through their first year of college.

Aside from impacting my residents on their journey through college, I personally learned a lot from the experience. My staff team consists of passionate individuals who dedicate so much of their time providing the best experience for their residents possible. Just by working alongside these people, I was given a platform to work with the best of the best, and to learn just by observing and sharing my thoughts. My staff team challenges me every day as we all grow together, constantly motivating each other to improve and remain passionate. We, together, go through the journey leading, not just by being a leader figure, but also by being a friend and peer.

One of the biggest programs I planned was the Asian American Artists’ Showcase. Featuring alumni and current USC artists, it was a multimedia art centered around the Asian-American identity and experience. Program planning for such a big event took more than half a month, but from the feedback, residents seemed very excited for the program – which is more than any RA can ask for. RAs try to hold programs that not only emphasize community building, but also are educational. Other programs that I have held with my fellow RAs  include Resume Building, bonding with Pug Nation, and Beach Volleyball.

Since having an amazing freshman year, I have wished to form that type of community and positivity for all incoming freshmen. College is a time to push pass one’s own boundaries, but more importantly, it is also about helping other people grow, inspiring and motivating people aside from the self, a time to pass on what one has learned to the future generations. There are many ways to be a leader at USC, being an RA was only one option. I hope that everyone can be a leader in some form at USC.

Featured image by Neon Tommy on Flickr

Sabrina is a sophomore studying Health and Human Sciences and minoring in Chinese for Professions and Managing Human Relations. Though born around the Bay Area, Sabrina moved to Shanghai, China at the age of 8 and has since then attended different international schools. She has 4 years of tutoring experience both in student organizations in her high school and outside of school. She was also a member of the National English Honor Society and took part in the Writing Center, which focused on editing student’s essays and helping student with their English classes. In her free time, Sabrina loves reading, hanging out with friends (exploring LA), and doing anything that makes her happy.

Turning Dreams Into Reality through USC’s “Dance Off”

By Sabrina Hsu

Everyone enters freshmen year of college with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension – I was no different. Growing up as an international student, transferring from school to school in itself wasn’t as intimidating as knowing it would take a while to integrate into the already-established friend groups in the school. So when I entered USC, I put all my hopes into the Fall Semester Involvement Fair, wishing for an organization that would catch my eye and help me find a group of people with common interests. Out of all the clubs and activities I joined, Dance-Off was the one I had least expectations for, but it is not an exaggeration to say it was the one that changed my life.

KASA Dance-Off is a competition for fall semester freshmen dancers with all levels of experience. As someone who never danced hip-hop before, I went to the first dance workshop with no intention of staying for the rest of the semester. But the passionate and family-oriented atmosphere that surrounded me when I danced with this group of people drew me in, and before I knew it, I was looking forward to the workshops every week. Of course, it was tough – two weeks before competition we practiced dance more than we did anything else, including sleeping and eating. But ultimately, our success during the competition, and the bonding and friendship that came out of the hours and hours of practice and “suffering” were worth it.

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