We are beyond honored and excited to announce our 2023 Language Revitalization Fellowship finalists. This year’s fellowship application process was extremely competitive and garnered over 250+ applicants. It was really difficult to select just six fellows, but we are incredibly proud of the strong and varied group we’ve accumulated.
These individuals show incredible promise, determination and passion. We look forward to our program this summer in the hopes of not only teaching and empowering our fellows but also learning from them. Our powerhouse of fellows bring a unique and insightful perspective to language revitalization that we are looking forward to sharing with you all. Let’s meet this year's fellows!
Franca Umasoye Igwe, Lorena Martín, Kristin Hall, Brittany Jimenez, Liubov Darzhinova, and Gerald Brazell!
Franca Umasoye Igwe
Umasoye decided to get involved in language preservation because she recognized the importance of language as an essential aspect of culture and one’s identity.
Her interest in language preservation was sparked by her personal experience as an undergraduate at a Nigerian University, where she could not converse with a fellow Ekpeye student who was not fluent in her language.
Your goal(s) for this upcoming fellowship.
My goal for this fellowship is to create an online course for the Ekpeye language whilst acquiring in-depth knowledge about language preservation and best practices.
What you're most excited about!
I'm excited about the opportunity to meet and share ideas with other language champions who are driving change in their community.
Connect:
Linkedin:
Franca Umasoye Igwe
Facebook: Umasoye Igwe
Twitter: @umasoyee
Instagram:
@u.m.a.s.o.y.e
Lorena Martín
Computational linguist with a passion for traveling and discovering new languages and cultures. I am a graduate student in Applied Linguistics at Carleton University and a Computational Linguistics graduate from the University of Tübingen. In my research, I have focused on using technology to support the documentation of Native American languages.
Your goal(s) for this upcoming fellowship.
Learning more about language revitalization and supporting the alphabetization process in the Bororo community.
What you're most excited about!
Working with others!
Connect:
Instagram: @l12maro
Twitter: @l12maro
Kristin Hall
Kwe’! My name is Kristin and I’m a third year undergraduate Linguistics student at the Ohio
State University minoring in Indigenous studies and Physical Anthropology. Your goal(s) for this upcoming fellowship: As a fellow, I’ll be creating a Mi’kmaq course, the language of the original peoples of Atlantic Canada. What you're most excited about? I am so excited and grateful for this fellowship because of the opportunity it gives me to apply my creativity and passion for endangered Indigenous languages, especially my own!
Connect: Instagram: @kristin.nhall
Brittany Jimenez
Brittany Verdin Jimenez is a wife and mother of 2 young children. A dedicated aunt and friend, she loves to spread positivity wherever she goes. This also translates into her language work with Uma', her Indigenous language. Being a Houma woman and 2 Spirit drives her passion to see her language thrive for generations to come. She has goals of becoming a certified teacher in order to teach Uma' to all ages, but her focus is on families with young children. In her free time she likes to bead and create jewelry, corn husk dolls, and crochet gifts for her loved ones and community. Always working on
self-improvement, she never wants to stop learning new things.
Your goal(s) for this upcoming fellowship.
I'm looking forward to expanding our (HLP) use of the website. Adding new content like stories, video clips, and audio linked to pictures. Additionally, working to add more Tiktok content with 7000 languages to offer brief immersion lessons to the community and general public.
What you're most excited about!
The thing I'm most excited about is building a space conducive for learning for my community. A space that is user friendly that conveys the cultural aspect of the language as well as the linguistic side.
Connect:
FB: Brittany Verdin Jimenez
Twitter: Britt Vdn Jmz @mirrorseeing
Tiktok: Brittany Jimenez @mirrorseeing
Liubov Darzhinova
My name is Liubov. I was born and raised in Elista, the capital of the Republic of Kalmykia, located in southern Russia. My hometown is also where I received my bachelor's degree in English and German Studies summa cum laude from Kalmyk State University. In 2017, I won a scholarship from the Hungarian government for graduate studies and moved to Hungary. Having earned my master's degree there, I relocated to Hong Kong for a doctoral fellowship and received my PhD in Applied Linguistics. Currently, I am a postdoctoral fellow at the Education University of Hong Kong, where my primary role is to work on a research project related to technology-enhanced language assessment.
Your goal(s) for this upcoming fellowship.
My goal for the upcoming fellowship is to develop and launch a conversational Kalmyk learning course, which will be freely available to those interested in learning Kalmyk or reactivating their lapsed language skills.
What you're most excited about!
I am keen to make new international friendships and excited to learn something new from other fellows, especially about their life experiences, native languages, and cultures. I think this Language Revitalization Fellowship is one of the platforms for all of us to bring some positive change in our home regions and make our world a little better.
Connect:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liebeliubad/
Gerald Brazell
Gerald Brazell, of a mixed racial/tribal background, is a Pee Dee tribal citizen working in language revitalization for his community. The Pee Dee people in South Carolina, who share many ties with the Natchez dating back to the 1740s, have proudly adopted Natchez as their official language. After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gerald began serving on the Natchez Language Task Force for the Natchez Nation in Oklahoma which aims to help the Natchez in Oklahoma and the Pee Dee-Natchez and Kusso-Natchez communities in South Carolina.
Your goal(s) for this upcoming fellowship.
Geraldis filled with excitement to begin the 2023 Summer Fellowship with 7000 Languages, as he envisions this opportunity as a pivotal moment in the revival of Nv’ce Ehe’we. He hopes to develop engaging and interactive language-learning materials that will facilitate the learning process for all ages.
What you're most excited about!
Additionally, Gerald eagerly anticipates making new connections and friendships with fellow language revitalizationists during this fellowship. Recognizing the challenges of accessing materials for the language, Gerald believes that the Summer Fellowship will serve as a gateway to better accessibility for all tribal members and language enthusiasts wanting to learn. He believes that in working with 7000 Languages, a new horizon is emerging for all of the Pee Dee and Natchez bands.
With over 250+ applicants for this years fellowship, the many individuals and communities who applied only further enforced how dire the need is for language revitalization resources.
We spoke with folks of all ages who were determined to sustain their language, heritage and culture but needed more assistance than we could provide at this time. Imagine the possibilities if we had the financial funding to support all of the communities and individuals who reach out their hands for help?
With a donation of just $25 you can start providing a community with the resources they need to begin the critical revitalization process. Supporting our mission shortens our waitlist, grows our impact, and shows people that their languages, voices and cultures matter.
