Kevin Billups

On Thursday, the majors and minors of the language department gathered outside of Detchon Hall for fellowship and a delicious hog roast. Students with a broad range of backgrounds and goals came and shared their experiences with their respective language studies. See the first photo album here. Click here for the second album and here for the exciting third album.

French major Drew Howk ’08 has studied French for eight years and recently spent a semester in Strasbourg in northeastern France. Howk commented how Strasbourg is regarded as the bridge of unity between modern France and Germany. “I never felt like I was tied down [between France and Germany],” he says, commenting on Strasbourg’s beautiful fusion of Franco-German culture. Howk plans to use his major to study international law.

German minor Jesse James ‘08 also plans to use his language studies to pursue international law. James started taking German at Wabash because he wanted “something new”, as he puts it, to fulfill his language requirement. Taking courses with Wabash professors Tucker and Redding helped James to want to continue pursuing Spanish as a minor. Derek Lough ’09 also credits Professor Tucker for his decision to minor in German. After studying French in high school, Lough decided to try German at Wabash. He says, “[Tucker] really simplified German for me on a mechanical level.” When it came around to registering for 200 level German classes, Lough says, “it seemed natural to stick with it.”

Ronald King ’09 has found it easy to stick with his study of Spanish. “I have always been intrigued by Spanish culture,” says King, who has declared himself a Spanish minor. Jamie Blue’10 also shares a love of the Spanish language. Blue explains how learning Spanish has helped him, saying, “ [Spanish has] helped me to break a cultural barrier between myself and Spanish speaking people at home, here at school, or anywhere I go.”

The attendance at picnic was most impressive. King comments on the turnout, saying, “I never realized how many people chose a language as a major or minor. I feel like I know all the people here a lot better now.” It was clear that many people have found mastering a language to be a cornerstone of success in life after Wabash.