STOCKTON – It takes more than one language to describe the world.
That’s something that more than 234 graduating seniors from across San Joaquin County learned as they did the hard work needed to master at least two languages and receive a State Seal of Biliteracy this year.
“It helped me see more perspectives on the world, and I’m grateful for that,” said Terry Ton, a graduating senior from Weston Ranch High School in Manteca Unified School District.
A native Vietnamese speaker, Terry is also fluent in English and Spanish. “It’s a gateway to a better understanding of the world.”
In addition to receiving a State Seal of Biliteracy, he was also one of the featured speakers at the State Seal of Biliteracy and Pathways Award Ceremony hosted by the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) on May 7.
Created by state law effective since the start of 2012, the State Seal of Biliteracy program recognizes high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading and writing one or more languages in addition to English.
Some of the students recognized at the ceremony at the San Joaquin County Office of Education spoke English as their first language. Others learned English in school. Most were biliterate in Spanish, but there were students receiving seals for biliteracy in Italian, French, Japanese, and Khmer.
“I’m honored to be presented this award,” said Lindsey Ear a graduating senior from Lincoln High School in Lincoln Unified School District.
Her family’s flight from war in Cambodia led them through a refugee camp on the way to the United States, where Lindsey was born. She learned some of the Cambodian language Khmer, at home. “When I grew up, I picked up a little bit.”
But her study was intensive in the high school program where she spent four years learning about the language and history that is a part of her own heritage.
She said she learned a lot more about the background of her own family’s struggles. Now she can read and write in Khmer and can engage in more-in-depth conversation. It allowed her to strengthen her connection to her grandparents, who speak little English. “I can communicate with them, and that’s pretty cool.”
“The path to biliteracy can be about learning a new language and culture to some students, while for other students the path can provide greater understanding of their own heritage,” said Jan Gustafson-Corea, the CEO of California Association of Bilingual Education and a guest speaker at the ceremony. “It really gives them a sense of pride in their own culture and language,” she said. “What you’re seeing are these cultures and languages coming together. The world gets bigger.”
And it can also open up future job opportunities, too, she said.
That is something San Joaquin County Superintendent of Schools James A. Mousalimas stressed before he handed out awards and medals at the recent ceremony. “The more languages our young people can speak, the more successful they are going to be in the future.”
Being biliterate would definitely be an asset in most jobs, said Giovani Gonzalez, a senior from Linden High School in Linden Unified School District.
Gisell Marin, also a Linden High School senior, agreed. She said having the seal will make it easier for potential employers to know what she can offer. “I think it will make me stand out more.”
Both are biliterate in English and Spanish.
Congratulations also go to the 126 students who earned recognition as recipients of the Pathway to Biliteracy award designed for elementary and middle school students in the third, fifth and eighth grades who meet language proficiency requirements in English and an additional language.
SJCOE is one of the few county offices of education in the state to provide the Pathway awards. “We think it is important to encourage our students to continue developing a second or more languages so that they qualify for the Seal when they are seniors in high school,” Karin Linn-Nieves, Director of Multilingual Education at SJCOE said.
The San Joaquin County Office of Education promotes the development of languages, cultural appreciation, and cross-cultural understanding. SJCOE is committed to the principle of equipping graduating seniors with the knowledge and skills needed for college, their careers and for successful participation in a global, diverse and multilingual 21st-century society.
SJCOE was joined by districts who took part in the State Seal of Biliteracy and Pathway Awards Ceremony: Escalon Unified, Jefferson Elementary, Lincoln Unified, Linden Unified, Lodi Unified, Manteca Unified, Oak View Union, Ripon Unified, Stockton Unified and Tracy Joint Unified.