By: Austin Kintz
Foreign languages have been on the rise in enrolling students in high school. At Kaneland High School, students are able to take French or Spanish.
“The purpose of the foreign language department is to expose kids to not only learn the language, but also the culture of the language,” department head Michelle Jurcenko said.
With a rise of immigrants arriving into United States, a foreign language is beneficial to students whether they go overseas to work. Their jobs require the student to speak to customers who do not understand English.
“I thought taking Spanish would have been a good idea because it would be very useful in the workforce because of the rise of Hispanics in the United States,” freshman Alec Aurelio said.
Foreign languages can help the admission department see if the student qualifies for that university. Highly selective colleges require four years of one foreign language whether it is French, Spanish, German, and Mandarin. Illinois public colleges require three years.
“I took French because it would look good on my college application,” freshman Connor Peterson said.
Peterson has no plans though to use French later in his life because it does not pertain to his career path. Aurelio’s plans for the future are to take Spanish in college and then apply his skills to his career if needed.
Tristan Kinder however plans to use his Spanish speaking skills for his career. Kinder wants to become a police officer.
“I feel that if I become a officer, speaking another language would be very beneficiary because of the diverse community we live in,” Kinder said.