Mead student wins national bilingual essay contest
Sarah Bradley, an eighth-grade student at Mead Junior High School, won first place in the middle school division of the National Association for Bilingual Education's (NABE) 2019 writing contest. Even more impressive - Sarah wrote her essay in Spanish, her second language.
The topic for the middle school division was "The Importance of Being Bilingual." Sarah's essay focused on how being bilingual connects her to her culture and her roots.
She wrote about how her father, who is from South Africa, learned to speak Spanish to communicate with her mother's family, who is from Mexico. Sarah also told the story of the first time she visited Mexico and surprised her grandparents with her ability to speak Spanish.
"When I go to Mexico and speak Spanish, I feel proud and part of the culture," Sarah wrote in Spanish. "Being bilingual has helped me feel connected with my family and has helped me a lot to communicate with people from other countries when they speak Spanish."
Sarah has been learning Spanish since kindergarten, when she enrolled in the English-Spanish dual language program at Link Elementary School in District 54.
"Sarah went beyond speaking about the academic and professional benefits of being bilingual and instead focused on the way her bilingualism allows her to remain connected to her family, her culture and her roots," said Maria Barba, Sarah's Dual Language teacher at Mead. "I am incredibly proud of her accomplishment and the message that she has shared with the bilingual community."
Sarah will receive her award on March 7 at the NABE conference in Florida.
Visit www.sd54.org to read Sarah's full essay in English and Spanish.