By: Frank Tarantella, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, fmt5150@psu.edu 

Familiarity and facility with languages other than English is beneficial in countless ways. Brandywine’s Language Program Liaison, Sandra Lawrence, is a true advocate.  

Most majors at Brandywine require students to take a language class to graduate. Not only is it important, academically, but being multilingual has plenty of other benefits and Señora Lawrence enjoys helping students learn those benefits.  

“In truth I really just love to help the students,” said Lawrence. “I believe that we offer a safe and inclusive learning environment, where the students feel respected and comfortable in the classes.” 

Having been teaching Spanish for 35 years, Lawrence adds that speaking multiple languages has more than just one benefit. Some of these benefits include globalization, cultural exploration, empathy, the ability to make connections, and possibly even developing different cognitive benefits.  

For a language professor, ease of communication with students is important. Having a sense of understanding between professor and student can play a big factor in a student’s production in the class. 

“I believe that my biggest accomplishment in my teaching career is the integration of a communicative approach from the beginning of the semester,” said Lawrence. “This approach focuses on developing the communicative skill, not the linguistic part.”

There is no doubt that it is important to learn different languages. Facility with language comes in handy in our multicultural world today. 

“In the United States, being multilingual has become increasingly important due to the cultural diversity,” said Lawrence. 

A third-year student Ava Clements, former student of Professor Lawrence said, “I think that the language program is very important.”  You meet someone new every single day, you see someone new every single day, and everyone comes from their own background to learn together.” 

Language really helps the students understand culture. Not just speaking the language, but being exposed to different languages helps students better understand their surroundings. Languages are all different in their own ways, but learning different languages provides a different world view. 

“Professor Lawrence was a great teacher,” Clements said. “I felt like I could connect with her beyond the level of her being my professor; you can tell that she really cares about her job and about her student’s success.”  

Penn State Brandywine’s Language Program continues to evolve. The program is an important part of the campus and helps us connect with each other every day. 

Lawrence continues to strive for a great environment for our campus and makes it known that she is there to support her students consistently.