Ariel studied with NSLI-Y in Pune, India during the summer of 2011. Because of her experience with NSLI-Y in India, Ariel decided to apply to universities that had Hindi language programs. She was accepted to the University of Minnesota and decided to minor in Asian Languages and Literatures.
Ariel started a Hindi-Urdu conversation club on campus to continue to practice language. “I started the club over a year ago now with help of the Hindi-Urdu professor, Dr. Sungok Hong. It was difficult to generate interest with students at first, however over time we started having more dedicated members that would attend each week. I completed the highest available level of Hindi last year so the Conversation Club is a great way for me to keep practicing Hindi.”
The club is becoming more popular on campus. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised how supportive the university community has been of our club. For example, the Asian Languages and Literatures Department helped host a Bollywood Film night with our club last semester. We had 36 people attend the event.
Ariel notes that her university has opportunities for grants and provides logistical support for student clubs. She encourages other NSLI-Y alumni to take advantage of their university’s resources to continue to study their languages.