Language Fairs, Diversity, and Rogers Park Living

Did you know that Rogers Park is one of the most ethnically diverse places in the entire world? Here at Loyola, we live among people from all different ethnic backgrounds and heritages. Personally, this was one of the reasons Loyola was so attractive to me, I could make friends and meet people who had completely different life experiences than I have had.

Discovering new cultures and people is something that has always been dear to me, coming from an ethnically diverse background myself. One way that I’ve gotten involved in different cultures at Loyola is taking a language class. I’ve spoken bits and pieces of Arabic my whole life, and once I figured out I was finally going to a school that teaches it, I immediately decided to better myself at it.

My Arabic teacher had informed my Arabic class about a language fair that was being held this Monday, and encouraged us to attend and find out about the other languages taught at Loyola, as well as some of the study abroad opportunities. I went, as encouraged, and talked to many different professors that I would not have talked to if not for my attendance.

This also helped me reach the decision to study abroad. There are ample opportunities for you to visit different countries all while completing your education and earning Loyola credit. Personally, I intend to study at the Rome Center Campus my junior or senior year. I’ve been to Rome before and fell in love with the city and am so glad that I have the opportunity to go once again.

A big factor in my decisions to study abroad was the cost. I was afraid at first that it would be too expensive, and not wanting to add more onto what I’ll have to pay off as a working adult, I confided in my academic advisor and was told that there were many scholarship opportunities and financial aid for all of the programs, whether they be through Loyola or not. (However if you do go to one of the programs associated with Loyola—Beijing, Rome, or Vietnam—your academic scholarship will transfer.) If you have the want to study abroad, definitely go talk to the lovely people in the Study Abroad office in Sullivan. They’ll help you figure it out!

I’m extremely thankful that I’ve gotten to grow and live in a place that is so ethnically and culturally diverse. One of my best friends is from Italy, someone on my floor speaks three different languages, and I can get authentic Ethiopian food right down the street. I have daily opportunities to connect and learn from those around me, and intend to seize every one of the opportunities that I can.