Cover Letter

The initial phase of the course taught me a lot about the huge influence language has on how people are viewed and treated in society. Amy Tan’s Mother Tongue had a profound impact on me. Tan delves into the unfair treatment her mother received for speaking less standard English. She was not treated properly just because of the way she spoke, which is quite unfair. This story touched my heart and made me reflect on my own story and my mother. I realized that people respected me more and took me more seriously than my family simply because of my English. It hurt me to realize how much more the world values the way you speak English. 

 
Another story we reviewed in class, and I was able to learn something from it was “Nobody Means More to Me Than You” by June Jordan taught me that language is not just for conversation, but is closely linked to identity, culture, and a sense of belonging. In her writings, Jordan defends the way African Americans speak, considering it a real and meaningful style of speech. This completely challenged the idea that there is only one correct type of English. Jordan shows how language generates pride, connects marginalized groups, and how requiring everyone to adhere to “standard” English can strip people of important aspects of their identity. This made me think that society often unfairly judges non-standard English, when all languages and dialects have value and meaning. It made it clear that different styles of speaking English are not wrong, just different, and reflect people’s diverse histories. Those two stories together really showed me language is a whole lot more than just talking’; it’s also about power, identity, and culture’s mirrors. Right, they pushed me to question my ideas about correct English, urging me to see the value in every language form. And the things I’ve learned will stick with me as I keep on considering how language affects us all, and the world.  

Although I don’t think these two stories are as significant compared to the rest of the classes, I wanted to devote a moment to them because they had a significant impact on me personally. They helped shape my understanding and experience in a very valuable way. However, one of the most important things I did during this time was to create my digital portfolio. This turned out to be a key learning experience. I realized how incredibly useful a portfolio can be, not only as a tool for organizing and presenting my classes and projects during college, but also as a powerful asset in my professional life. A well-crafted portfolio can really help me stand out to potential employers, as it showcases my work, my skills, and my growth over time. It is something I will continue to work on and refine, and I know it will be a valuable resource for me in the future. This process taught me that putting effort into documenting and showcasing your work can open doors and create opportunities you may not have even considered before. Something strange about the day we did this was that I got confused about which room it would be in. I never expected a library to be so big. It seems silly, but I got very confused trying to find the classroom. 

And what I think was the most important part of the first phase was our LLN essay and its translation/presentation. It was an assignment/project where we wrote about an experience or event in our lives related to language and how that moment changed our perspective. Here we also learned how to identify our intended audience (mine is young Dominican immigrants) and how to attract them (I use simple language to make it easier for them to read). I consider it the most important because it was both a way to reflect on a lived experience and a way to get to know the rest of the class better (this was in the translation part, and some were very creative in how they presented their essay to the rest). Speaking of essays, I’ll leave mine below. 

 

My LLN Essay 

 

When I immigrated to the United States with my mother and siblings, I was incredibly nervous because I had never left my comfort zone, and now I was not only leaving my home, but also my country, to go to a new environment and learn a new language, something that has always been difficult for me, especially during my first week in high school.  

I still remember my first day of school. I was a junior who had arrived just two years before graduation and had to adapt to the new environment. I woke up early in the morning feeling sleepy and lost, both inside and out, because I literally got lost on the bus, but luckily, I only missed one stop. When I arrived at the building, I tried to communicate with the other students to find out where I should go, but that’s when I realized the reality of the situation. You know, when you take English classes, they speak slowly so you can understand better, and luckily my teachers tended to explain things in a simpler way, but with these students it was very different. They spoke fast, I could barely understand them, and they pronounced some words differently than I had learned.   Throughout that period, what I found most difficult were the exams. Each one was a problem because my basic vocabulary often led me to confuse questions. The one I found most difficult was mainly the winter English exam. Since it largely involves analyzing and writing arguments, my vocabulary wasn’t up to the task. It was a very stressful time in my life. I remember leaving in tears. I had to take many classes to improve. Since that day, I always try to expand my vocabulary so that I don’t fall short when I give an argument. 

One of the words I still have difficulty pronouncing is “twenty.” I learned to pronounce it as “twenty,” British style, but Americans pronounce it “twenny.” Seriously, I hate that. I would search my lineage to see if I have a British ancestor just to get British citizenship so I could justify saying it that way. Putting my hatred aside, I still remember how stressful and hectic the rest of the day was. I had to go from one class to another, which was not the case in my native Dominican Republic, where the teachers’ changed classrooms, not the students. I had to converse pretending to understand them, I had to learn many pronunciation and spelling rules that were unfamiliar to me, and I went home thinking I had made a fool of myself by trying to speak English (it still happens to me). Like many others, I had to enter a new world, and it wasn’t very pleasant. Fortunately, I had several teachers and classmates who helped me get through this adjustment period, such as the wonderful Ms. Feinberg (I hope I spelled that right), my very positive and kind English teacher during the first half of my freshman year, and the very demanding and strict Ms. Kong, who was my teacher during the second half of the year. My good friend Michael always talked to me and invited me to events, but like any good antisocial person, I turned him down. 

I have no doubt that Many immigrants, without question, find themselves wrestling with deep-seated stress and anxiety upon first arriving in a strange new land—particularly one speaking a language utterly foreign, packed with baffling rules, pronunciations that twist the tongue, and a whole heap of exceptions. Getting through daily routines like asking for directions or finding a job can feel crushed while you’re trying to chat in a language that just won’t feel right yet. The true challenge goes far beyond picking up new words or even grammar, It’s about gathering the courage to open your mouth and talk, make mistakes, and persist through the terror of not being fully understood or even worse, judged by others. Despite these troubles, most of the time, there is absolutely no choice at all. For loads of people, learning the language is a crucial step not just to get by, but to actually thrive. It unlocks new possibilities, helps create those much needed connections, and starts to build a new life. This rings even truer, perhaps especially so, in a vibrant, mixed-up city where people arrive daily in search of something better, from everywhere on the globe.  Amidst this setting, where talk rules, mastering the tongue goes far beyond mere requirement, it morphs into a passport. A passport to connection, progress, and eventually, prospering in a fresh realm, one that may feel like home later.