WKU News

Josie Coyle started learning Spanish and Mandarin Chinese at a young age. She has pursued her passion by studying abroad in Guilin, China, spending time in Europe, and visiting friends in Mexico. These opportunities have led her to discover the possible careers she would like to pursue in the future: teaching or translating. Coyle is currently majoring in International Affairs and Chinese Flagship and minoring in History. She believes that learning languages can open doors to form deeper connections with people around the world as well as job opportunities. On a personal level, she wants “to become closer with other people who speak [Chinese and Spanish] because I love being able to communicate with people of different cultures and backgrounds.” Because we don’t emphasize teaching languages in school, the “United States misses out on making these connections with the rest of the world.” Although learning different languages can sometimes make you doubt yourself, Coyle keeps an optimistic mindset by reminding herself that everyone makes mistakes. Even native speakers of that language mess up from time to time! Coyle’s advice for those learning another language is to not be too hard on yourself for making mistakes; it is all part of a life-long journey that can lead to amazing experiences and unforgettable memories.