Danielle- LEX Multilingual Presentation

LEX Multilingual Presentation

I'm so sorry I didn't talk about this sooner. It just now occurred to me to blog about this. ._. I'm really bad at this blogging stuff.

On January 6th, LEX held their very first multilingual presentation - contest, if you will - in which high school/college students had to prepare an eight-minute speech containing their message to the world/society based on multilingual experiences they've had (such as hosting, studying abroad, etc). And they had to do it using three or more languages. There were about 30 participants total, ranging from age 16-25. There were multiple winners chosen for bronze, silver, and golds, and the winners all received scholarships that could be used on various homestay programs within LEX. Very cool, and what a great opportunity.

Also, this event was so huge that members of LEX America, Mexico, Korea, and Japan all got together to observe - or in my case, judge. I felt so lucky to be there and meet all the new faces!

At first, I didn't think I'd do a very good job of judging English as a second language, just because if they spoke any English at all, my inner-older-sister-ness thought, "Yay! You did a great job! You're all winners!" (But of course, there was a job to be done, and I did it.) It was a tricky job, though, because every participant had a unique experience and unique thoughts about topics that are difficult for a lot of people, such as discussing issues with media and society, communicating effectively with others, and being comfortable to open yourself to anyone of any culture.

Though they were but young adults, I was amazed at the amount of thoughtfulness and wisdom that they shared with us. Plus, I give them all major kudos for getting up on that stage and using all their languages. Good job, all, you did a fantastic job!

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