Global Languages Spring Fest was held April 22 in the Bush Room. The event is a salute to our graduating seniors and student award-winners, and a celebration of the Global Languages community!

Global Languages Director Per Urlaub welcomed attendees and emceed the event. The audience of 90-plus students was delighted by a lively performance by members of MIT Mocha Moves. Mocha Moves was created in 1999 to promote and celebrate hip hop and urban dance culture. Following the award presentations, the floor was opened for a “community share” in which a number of students stepped forward to explain their experiences in the language classrooms at MIT, and how it impacted their lives.

The list of awardees included:

  • First Prize winner of the Student Award for Excellence, Viktor Baltin
  • Margarita Ribas Groeger Distinguished Scholar, Nicole Harris
  • Ellen Crocker Distinguished Scholar, Kenneth Choi
  • Jing Wang Memorial Prize, Katherine Kostecki and Zixuan Liu
  • Miyagawa Japanese Prize, Ella Kazazic (first prize), and Tyler Matsuzaki (second prize)
  • The de Courtivron Writing Prize Fiona Lu, first prize; and two second prize winners, Janina Ojeiduma and Pragnya Govindu. Honorable mentions went to Ari Peró and Vivian Hir.
  • Recognition was also made of graduating Concentrators (216), graduating Minors (22), graduating Majors (2), and Phi Beta Kappa recipients (24).

First place awardee Viktor Baltin (right) with Mariana San Martin (left)

Winner of the Margarita Ribas Groeger Distinguished Scholar award, Nicole Harris (right), with Joaquín Terrones (left)

Kenneth Choi, winner of the Winner of the Ellen Crocker Distinguished Scholar award, Kenneth Choi (right) with Hee-Jeong Jeong (left)

Jing Wang Memorial Prize: from left to right, Panpan Gao with winner Zixuan Liu; and Tong Chen with winner Katherine Kostecki

Winners of the Miyagawa Japanese Prize: Ella Kazazic (middle) and Tyler Matsuzaki (right) with Wakana Maekawa (left)

From left to right: Leanna Rezvani with de Courtivron writing prize winners Vivian Hir, Pragnya Govindu, and Janina Ojeiduma.

Members of Mocha Moves.

Many Global Languages lecturers were in attendance (Left: Maria Khotimsky, Russian; Right: Eva Dessein, French)

Nilma Dominique (Portuguese)

Joaquín Terrones (left) and Per Urlaub (second from left) enjoy discussions with students.

Tong Chen (left) with students.

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