A Tech Valley High School
senior interested in the English language took a global approach to a research project this year, traveling to Germany and providing advice to a university there.
Linda-Lee Navarette, who attends TVHS from Brunswick Central School District, spent two weeks at Duale Hochschule Baden Wurttemberg in Villingen Schwenningen, Germany (also known as Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University).
There, she put her interest in language to the test, examining the university’s English language website and developing a paper filled with recommendations on ways to improve the website. The project was part of TVHS’s annual J-Term research initiative.
“The work I did allowed me to look at language, specifically the English language, from a different perspective. In editing the website, I was able to see how, for people whom English is a second language, certain concepts in grammar can be confusing,” she said.
“I also learned a bit more about translations, for example, someone’s degree can’t always accurately translated because earning a specific degree can mean different things in different languages, or that certain words cannot be translated directly because of the implications there may be placed on specific words in other languages,” Navarette added.
The senior said spending time in another country with unique traditions and being helpful was the highlight of her time there.
“The best thing about the trip was just being in a new place and being able to work on something that will be helpful to the university,” she said. “It really meant a lot to me and it’s an experience I’ll never forget.”
J-Term projects, which are unique to Tech Valley High School, are designed to enable individual interaction between students and area professionals that help students gain a realistic understanding of an industry or field of study.
The projects – which all TVHS students are required to undertake – can involve anywhere from several hours of interning at a business or workplace to up to three weeks. The work culminates with presentations by the students to a panel that includes their peers, experts, faculty and community members.
