Brian Prussman

Background

About Brian Prussman

As a passionate individual who cares deeply about others, I am seeking to engage with language education in a way which bridges educational and sociolinguistic theory and praxis. Whether studying French through immersion, learning Italian as a research assistant, or practicing my Spanish, I have always sought to learn new languages and get to know other people on their terms instead of mine. In my career and in my life more generally, I hope to promote progressive ideas of multilingualism in a late capitalist society and to highlight the social benefits of language education and multilingual competences. In my undergraduate education, I have devoted much of my scholarship to an advanced study of the French language and its connections to the highly related fields of sociolinguistics and education. In May 2024, I graduated from Grinnell College with my B.A. in French and concentrations in Linguistics and Education Studies. From here, I hope to continue in the realm of language education as a teacher of English or French before returning to academia to study Educational Linguistics at the graduate level. Importantly, an international approach to language education has always been key to my understanding of language for communication and exchange with others; I think that language acquisition can bring people closer together through the establishment of linguistic and cultural empathy. Having spent time immersed in francophone and italophone environments, I understand the value of living in another language, the incessant struggles and successes of multilingualism, and the importance of the cultural associations of language. Since language is that which connects us all, its imperative to my philosophy that we all strive to comprehend each other, embracing our humanity through effective and dynamic communication practices.