International student speaks on bilingualism in Colombia
Photo by Sydney Pressley.
Samuel Duarte, a second-semester freshman from Paraguay, South America, was given the opportunity to speak to high school and graduate students in Colombia regarding Paraguay’s culture and use of bilingualism.
Originally from Paraguay, Duarte came to Lee with the interest of running track and field and is a Spanish and business-marketing double major. Despite living thousands of miles away, he still has a strong passion for his home country and its language.
“It’s really cool to talk about your country and how your language works,” Duarte said.
Duarte grew up speaking Spanish and Guarani, but he did not begin learning English until his senior year of high school. He came to the U.S. just six months before school began to further learn the language.
For Duarte, switching between languages is a natural skill. As a native of Paraguay, most people either speak Spanish or Guarani, but many often switch back and forth.
“I didn’t realize how cool it was to change languages back and forth,” Duarte said. “Spanish professors ask me how I do that.”
Dr. Steffanell, an associate professor of Spanish at Lee, has known Duarte for about a year and is impressed by his fluency in both languages.
“Since we met, I recognized that he has a great potential to succeed by advocating for culture and languages,” Steffanell said. “He is very passionate about his own culture and his country. Not only does he show this in my Spanish Linguistics class, but also academically when he presented in Colombia,” Steffanell said.
Dr. Steffanell is excited that Duarte was able to help put Lee University on the map internationally and that this could open doors for the Spanish program in the future.
