Great Barrington — Each year the Massachusetts Foreign Language Association (MaFLA) sponsors three statewide language contests designed to encourage awareness of and participation in high school foreign language education.
This year Anna Abrahams — only a freshman at Monument Mountain Regional High School — won the essay competition for the state of Massachusetts.
Fifteen-year-old Abrahams just completed her third year studying French and says she believes language to be an important part of education. Abrahams is a driven, high honors student who is also a member of the Tennis Team and participates in the Fall Festival of Shakespeare program at Shakespeare and Company.
Anna’s winning essay centered on the importance of learning foreign language education early in life. She said that she believes foreign language is a key part of any education.
“In the small amount of traveling I have done most of the other countries I’ve been to, especially in Europe, kids my age are already bi- or tri-lingual,” Abrahams said.
“I think that you can only truly appreciate other cultures when you study their languages and that’s why I was thrilled when I was given the opportunity in 7th grade to start learning a foreign language. But I do wish I would have been given that opportunity sooner.”
This year’s MaFLA contest was based around the theme “Languages as the Keys to Global Understanding.” Abrahams took this to heart, writing an essay that centered on the unique ability of language to bring different nations together and unify humanity through cultural understanding.
“It’s important that we keep in mind that other people don’t talk and think like us” she said. “I think learning foreign language is a good way to relate to and understand different cultures.”
Abrahams attributes her achievement to her love for language and its humanizing power.
Abrahams plans to continue to study French throughout high school, and perhaps even into college, stating that being fluent “is definitely the goal.”
