Year 11 Language Captains 2022
By Michele Sharp, Head of Languages, and the Language Captains
Each year Radford appoints students to leadership roles, and in the case of the Languages Department, we select Language Captains to promote and assist with language learning.
Student leaders are expected to live with integrity, embody the values of the College, be wholly themselves and flourish whilst engaged in the service of community. They are expected to be a model for others to emulate and do this by their everyday presence and demeanour, whilst also fulfilling responsibilities in a meaningful portfolio of work.
The captains are mentored by staff to promote language experiences across the Secondary School. During the interview process and subsequent meeting, they have expressed wonderful ideas to engage the wider student body with the importance of language learning. We wish them well with their endeavours this year.
Please read the messages from the Language Captains below.
Alysha Lee – Chinese Language Captain
Though my background is Chinese Malaysian, learning Chinese has extended my understanding of the culture.
I have been learning and taking Chinese since Year 7 and it has always been one of my favourite subjects. I believe that learning any language can help build up your skills that will be useful later in life. Not only does it help you to increase your linguistic skills, but you are able to have a better understanding of diversity within culture, especially the contrast between the culture of Australia and any of the languages taught at Radford, whether it's French, Japanese, or Spanish.
The opportunity to learn a new language can be taken at any time, so I encourage you to take this opportunity and help increase the love and enjoyment of learning a language at Radford.
Amy Zheng – Chinese Language Captain|
Learning another language presents advantages and benefits, whether it be through school, on your own or from travelling to another country. Languages give us the ability to communicate and connect with the people around us in our multicultural society.
Having grown up with a Chinese background and learnt the language throughout my schooling, I am very grateful and fortunate to have been surrounded by and exposed to a culture and language beyond what I am used to, having grown up in Australia. It has given me the opportunity to travel, communicate with my relatives, develop my cognitive skills, become more culturally aware and build lasting friendships. Thus, through learning a language, I have learnt the value and power of communication. I encourage everyone to take up the rewarding and fun challenge of learning a language!
Freya Alblas – French Language Captain
I began my language-learning journey in the French stream of an international school in Switzerland, with my science teacher sending me out of the class for ‘pranking’ her that I could not speak French. It was not a prank!
Three years later, I was heading back to Canberra writing, reading and conversing in a completely new language. I can now fully appreciate the benefits of being able to speak a foreign language; I am still in touch with friends overseas in different cultures, I am able to read more widely, and I was able to confidently choose the IBDP program for Years 11 and 12.
I have found that by learning a language I have understood more about how my brain works and retains information, which has helped me study more effectively in a wide range of subjects. I have been so lucky to have had the opportunity to learn French and am looking forward to the future opportunities it will present, including hopefully helping others discover and begin to love learning language here at Radford.
Aurora Sookdeo – French Language Captain
I have been studying French for six years and it is something that I have really enjoyed. I have been lucky enough to live all around the world and study languages including Spanish, Afrikaans, and Arabic. Due to this, I have realised the many benefits that learning another language can have, including the opportunities for growth, the friendships that can be made and the different perspective that it gives you.
Learning a language not only allows communication between countries but also gives a large insight into culture, and I think it is something everyone should have the opportunity to do. This year as one of your Language Captains, I hope that I can help others understand and see the benefits of learning a new language.
Isabel Jiang – Japanese Language Captain
Choosing to continue Japanese in Year 8 was probably one of the best decisions I’ve made for my schooling career. I enjoyed learning all the languages Year 7 provided me with, but Japanese in particular resonated with me. It seemed familiar through my Chinese heritage, but it was still diverse enough to provoke a sense of curiosity and a yearning for learning.
During COVID, when travel was restricted, these Japanese lessons were almost an adequate substitute for the lack of international interaction. One of my favourites being the time we video chatted with some Japanese students from our sister school. Of course, I am still eager to visit Japan, hopefully even undertake an exchange and see the other students without the barricade of the screen, but I’m thankful for the connections Japanese classes have cultivated with my understanding and appreciation for the culture and experience.
Especially living in such a multicultural country, this sensitivity and awareness of the world/ culture is essential for the modern ecosystem. This is how our world today is thriving and I encourage others to thrive with it by taking on the task of learning a language.
Sammy Miller – Japanese Language Captain
The opportunities that learning a language throughout my schooling journey has provided are insurmountable.
It has provided me with the opportunity to develop my critical and analytical thinking skills and enhance my communication skills in general. Currently I am studying Japanese as part of my IB Diploma package but during my time at Radford I have undertaken French and Mandarin Chinese as well, and as such my world view has been enriched to a point I don’t think I could’ve reached without the chances that learning a language has given me.
In conjunction with the benefits in my current schooling, the future benefits cannot be disregarded. The university and career prospects that have been opened up to me as a result of undertaking a languages course are as vast as they are diverse. To conclude, languages study is about more than surface-level understanding of a chosen language, but also the life-long skills you it will afford you.
Taniza Khan – Spanish Language Captain
I have learnt many languages during my time at Radford and have been able to recognise the importance of learning a language as well as being part of other cultures. It is becoming increasingly important as the world becomes more globalised and building strong connections between countries becomes crucial.
Participating in and learning more about other cultures helps us to understand and see the similarities between people who live in another country and our own lives. Learning a language enriches your life to an extent that is unexplainable; it builds an intense sense of belonging to everyone all across the world. As one of this year’s Spanish captains, I wish to encourage all of you to step out of your comfort zones and learn a new language.