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Pittsburgh Obama Teacher Will Speak at MSU's World Languages Day
Michigan State University will host its 10th annual World
Languages Day on Saturday, March 25, bringing more than 600 participants,
presenters, and volunteers to campus for a conference on world cultures and
languages, globalization, the importance of learning foreign languages, and the
positive impact knowledge of other languages can have on future career paths.
This free, one-day conference is for high school students, teachers, and
parents from across the state. It is being held in MSU's Business College
Complex/Eppley Center.
Participants can choose from 75 different multilingual, multicultural sessions taught by MSU faculty, graduate students, and community members. The sessions range from Vikings to vinyasa yoga, teen life and language in France to Tamil-speaking teens, and Hangeul to Hamlet. About 20 organizations will host information booths where participants can find information on specific language programs, departments, colleges, admission to MSU, financial aid, study abroad, etc.
This year's plenary speaker is MSU alumnus Nathan Bynum, a Japanese language teacher at Barack Obama Academy of International Studies. Bynum is a former student volunteer and presenter at World Languages Day and will now deliver the keynote address at the conference. He graduated from MSU in 2012 with a B.A. in Japanese and German and also received a teacher certificate from MSU in 2013. In his World Languages Day address, he will talk about how international education has impacted him and so many others around him.
“Language learning is so important because it teaches one to understand other people,” Bynum said. “It teaches you what to do when you encounter difference, whether it be abroad or even in the United States.”