Scholar Abroad Fall 2008 Recipient- Tina Ngo

 My home town is in El Monte, California and I am currently a student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Currently, I am studying abroad in Tokyo, Japan at the International Christian University (ICU) for the 2008-2009 academic year.

In the past three years at UCLA, with nothing but the determination to improve education in the disadvantaged Los Angeles community, I volunteered for several student organizations and worked at the Community Programs Office (CPO).

I realized that I also had a passion for languages, which is why I decided to study abroad in the first place. However, I could not connect how studying languages could greatly benefit the Los Angeles community.

After coming to Japan, I believe I have a clearer vision of what I want to do in the future. Many of the students here are stuck in somewhat of a language limbo—that is, similar to the low socioeconomic area that I come from, because they are forced to rigorously study English many students do not have a great command of their home language like myself. Language barriers and miscommunication cause rifts between students and parents and inevitably are the sources for other social problems.

To reduce these continuing problems in my community, I want to come back to California and promote the importance of language instruction while working as a multilingual interpreter for the community. Until then, I plan to devote myself to studying languages and apply for the doctorate program for Asian Language and Cultures program at UCLA.