So, what IS it like going to school and
studying your subjects in a foreign language? Mariah’s here to tell us all
about the benefits of going to an immersion school and the importance of staying
current in the language you learn.
BGLL:
Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed. Please tell us about yourself.
Mariah: My name is Mariah Lisette Baylor and
I’m currently located in Albany, New York. I really need to do an official
Ancestry DNA test to confirm everything I’m mixed with, but what I know is:
African American, Finish, German, French, English, and most likely Cherokee American
Indian.
BGLL:
Is English your only native language?
Mariah: Yes, unfortunately.
BGLL:
Do you know any other languages besides Spanish? Tell me more about your Spanish
language schooling experience.
Mariah: I’m no longer fluent in Spanish (it’s
true what they say, if you don’t use it you lose it), and only studied Spanish
as a second language. I began my first formal school years (K-8) enrolled in a
Spanish Immersion public school, called the Emerson S.I.L.C (Spanish Immersion Learning Center), in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. In High School, I also
continued to study Spanish, and traveled abroad to Costa Rica.
BGLL:
That’s interesting. What made your parents enroll you in a Spanish Immersion
public school?
Mariah: I am multiracial and my mother, who is
Caucasian, was trying to provide me with a multicultural schooling experience
outside of the predominantly white suburban schools she and other family
members had attended, as well as out of the often underserved schools in my
neighborhood. I never knew what a “normal” school experience was like until
high school.
BGLL:
What was that school like?
Mariah: My K-8 school was small, around 200
students and faculty/staff. Many of my classmates and teachers were first
generation Americans, spoke Spanish at home or as their native language, and
had parents/family from many other Spanish speaking countries including; Mexico,
Puerto Rico (US), Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama, Spain,
Venezuela, Chile, and more.
BGLL:
How did you like attending this Immersion public school? What did you learn?
Mariah: I loved my experience because I learned
early how to appreciate others’ cultures. I also learned cultural and racial
tolerance very early, which I’m thankful for. There were a handful of
“American” students like myself who also attended. Many were multiracial or
biracial like myself (though there were few mixed with my heritage, many were
mixed with a Spanish-speaking country’s origin), but a few of the woke ones
were Caucasian and African American as well lol.
BGLL:
What was it like in comparison to English curricula?
Mariah: I’m not sure as it was the first and
only schooling experience I’d had until high school. But I can say at times I
struggled to learn and master certain subjects, like math and science in Spanish
first, as well as presenting projects and writing essays in Spanish. I was
always nervous speaking in front of native Spanish speakers, but I pushed
through. There were native Spanish speaking students taking ESL classes
(English as a second language) as part of their curriculum as well, and I know
they struggled similarly to learn English. Everyone was struggling to
communicate at some point lol, even some of the teachers.
Most of our textbooks were in Spanish and we
were taught American history, as well as the history of many Spanish-speaking
counties. Emerson hipped us to important historical figures like Che Guevara,
Cesar Chavez, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chávez, Benito Juárez, and even Pablo Escobar (I
realize these are all men, we also learned about famous women, forgive my poor
childhood memory). We learned the cultural cuisines, kinds of dance, and
celebrated traditional holidays of Spanish-speaking countries; yes DÃa de los
Muertos, Cinco de Mayo, among others.
Imagine trying to learn everything for the
first time in a language no one at home understands lol. My homework was
usually up to me (though my mom tried to help as much as possible). We didn’t
have great translation technology back then so all students used
English-to-Spanish dictionaries. Students were expected to write (conjugate
verbs) and speak to one another and the teachers in Spanish first, to ask to use
the restroom, ask questions and for anything else, even addressing most teachers
as “Señora or Señor.
BGLL:
I know we discussed that you don’t currently use Spanish anymore, do you plan
to refresh your Spanish at any point in time? Did you ever use Spanish outside
of school? If so, please elaborate.
Mariah: Sad
to say that it is true “if you don’t use it you lose it.” I do plan to refresh
my Spanish, hopefully sooner rather than later. High school Spanish classes
were nowhere near the level I had grown up speaking at Emerson, and though I
made it to Spanish 4 before quitting language, I became lazy due to boredom.
As it turned out, my college Volleyball coach
at Hampton University was Mexican and recruited mostly international players (I
was one of only 3 Americans at any time on my team lol). I played with young
women from Columbia, Puerto Rico (US), and other countries like; Brazil,
Macedonia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Israel, Serbia, Latvia and Canada. So I
caught back up on my Spanish during that time, and learned a little bit of
culture/language from the other ladies from around the world as well. They made
up for my lack of study abroad in college.
BGLL: What did you like about learning and speaking Spanish? What did you like about attending a Spanish language school? When did you start realizing that you were losing your ability to speak and understand Spanish as fluently as before?
Mariah: I loved learning about the different
cultures the most, either from my classmates and friends, or in a textbook. It was
really cool to translate things for my family, and to have sleepovers or
celebrate events at the homes of my friends who were different than me. I liked
meeting my friend’s families and trying to communicate in their native language
in their family homes.
Attending Emerson taught me acceptance first,
and broadened my horizons to what America is really about. I knew a little bit
about these concepts by being a mixed kid in the ‘90’s alone, but Emerson gave
me a worldview. I’m so thankful for that, especially in these trying times,
where our country seems dead set on separatism and can feel very hateful for
some people. I try to be as understanding and welcoming of everyone because I
know how it feels to struggle with a new language, culture or just as being considered
“other.”
I knew I was losing my ability to speak the
language as soon as I got to high school. My Spanish classes were much more
watered down and almost remedial to me, compared to my immersive background at
Emerson. I tried to stay interested and did study abroad (in Costa Rica) which
helped some. But I began to forget quickly because many of my classmates were
American like me, and had very little experience with the language. Also my
classes were often taught using English as a crutch (unlike Emerson), which
just reinforced poor habits.
BGLL:
Is there anything that you feel really helped you when learning and studying in
Spanish? Do you have 3 tips you can offer those who are trying to learn the
languages you know?
Mariah: I’d say speak the language you’re
trying to learn with native speakers. I’ve found people are really helpful and
open when they know you’re trying to learn/show an interest in their culture
respectfully. Also travel to the countries and places that will force you to
use that language. It may not be feasible for someone to travel abroad, but
there are neighborhoods, businesses (restaurants are awesome), and events that
take place right here in the US where you can find folks who speak other
languages. Seek those places and people out, respectfully of course.
BGLL:
Tell us more about your professional background.
Mariah: I graduated from Hampton University
with a Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism, and an area of emphasis in
English. My current job title is “Founder & Principal” of my PR and media
firm Lisette Creative Group (LCG).
I have a few accomplishments that I’m
especially proud of: producing music videos for awesome artists (Sunny &
Gabe, Pusha T, Corrinn, etc.), getting my clients published to major magazines
and blogs (RESPECT Magazine, The Source, AllHipHop, Jack Thriller, Mechanical
Dummy, ThisIs50, ItzBizkit, etc.), getting my clients major label meetings and
showcases (most recently with Republic Records, Atlantic Records, and
Casablanca Records), and interning/working for major companies (BBDO
Advertising, SJI/Sports Journalism Institute, The FADER, The Hollywood
Reporter, Karmaloop TV, and Cox Cable among others). I’m proud to have had the
opportunity to work on PR campaigns for my Alma Mater Hampton University, in
collaboration with ESPN SportsCenter on the Road, REVOLT TV’s CEO at the time
Keith Clinkscales, National Geographic’s CEO Gary Knell, author and speaker
Michael Eric Dyson, and The Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute (HUPTI)
among others. As well as LCG campaigns with iHeart Media, Entercom
Communications, Live Nation and others.
BGLL:
Tell me more about your PR experience and writing gig that you have at BAUCE
Mag.
Mariah: I didn’t study traditional PR at
Hampton, as I majored in broadcast journalism. But I was always curious about
the field. After graduating, a friend from high school and fellow entertainment
publicist in New York (Europe Angelique), taught me everything she knew about
the PR game. I studied her and learned a lot on my own. I then decided to start
my own LLC (LCG PR), and began taking on clients. Most of which were emerging
artists, professional athletes and small businesses (Thank God VA & NYC are
major breeding grounds for entertainment talent). Eventually, as my contacts
grew (from networking and, yes, doing certain jobs for free), I graduated to
larger and larger campaigns. In 2015, I took a PR position as “Manager for
Multimedia Relations” at Hampton and was fortunate to work on some major
campaigns mentioned above. That experience boosted my résumé extensively and
has helped me get to the place I am now with LCG.
I became familiar with BAUCE Magazine at random
while on social media. I began reading their articles regularly, then joined
the BAUCE Admin Slack group, which eventually led me to want to write for the
magazine. So far, I’ve written six pieces. I love the positive and professional
aura of the magazine, and especially gravitate toward it because it’s focused
on women of color like myself. We need professional and self-love outlets like
this that are tailored to our needs. I’m down to help add to that narrative any
day!
BGLL:
How can we keep up with you on social media?
Loved reading tthis thank you
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed! Thanks for coming by!
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