The sense of belonging is an inherently elusive entity, a sentiment which is extensively heightened in the halls of high school. For some, the barrier to belonging is social cliques, for others its academic pressure, fear of judgement, or the rapidly increasing alienating influence of social media. Then there are those who are underrepresented. Those who skip out on dances, club meetings, and athletic events because the events themselves are not even in a language they can understand. This is not simply a language barrier, it is an isolation; it is the encouragement of thoughts such as “this isn’t a space for me,” or “maybe people like me just don’t excel her.” Representation, or the lack thereof, tells students where they belong long before anyone even speaks to them.
Kenzie Willis, a junior at Marietta recently began a club with these students in mind: Bilingual Buds. By taking Spanish for many years, Willis developed both a love for the language and an awareness that many people learning the opposite way — from Spanish to English — are not just learning a language because they want to, but because it is what they need to do in order to feel incorporated in the Marietta community.
“Even though it is going to be an academic club to help each other learn and practice speaking each other’s languages, it is also just an opportunity for both English speakers and Spanish speakers to become friends,” Willis (11) said. “I feel like it is really hard at our school to connect with people who are from different backgrounds.”
Bilingual Buds will allow for it all: participation in a club, mutual understanding of each other’s lives at Marietta, and simply a place to learn; a place to belong.
Alongside her cross country coach, Kenzie developed a saying to effectively portray the intention of this newly impactful club: “make languages a bridge, not a barrier.” The impact of this simple phrase stretches much farther than just Bilingual Buds.
At Marietta High School, we are often told to “Be Somebody”. This slogan can be found on t-shirts, posters, and truly anything Marietta reminding students that they matter. While the phrase is powerful in its simplicity, there are many students who still feel that the “somebody” they are is not represented nor accepted. By bringing awareness to this reality, Bilingual Buds will make sure that these students feel not just like “somebody,” but truly seen— respected and understood.
