Heritage By Design

Gaby and Meagan discuss ways that HL educators can prepare for fall heritage community- and project-based courses now and make innovative heritage courses more feasible. Have any other tips or advice to add? Leave us a comment or send us an email at heritagebydesignpodcast@gmail.com - we love to hear from you! :) 

Meagan and Gaby address some of the most prominent misconceptions of heritage speakers, both in- and outside the classroom, and discuss how to change and push back against some of these ideas. Have a misconception to add to the list? Drop us a comment!  

In this episode, we chat with Sophia, a heritage speaker and pre-med student majoring in Spanish and Public Health. She shares her journey navigating heritage language learning, finding community in heritage Spanish classes, and preparing for a future in medicine. Together, we discuss healthcare disparities, building trust in medical settings, and why language and culture matter deeply in patient...

Gaby and Meagan share the advice they gathered from heritage speakers across languages to enjoy the holiday season and feel good in their heritage roots and language with family and friends. Wishing everyone a happy holiday season! 

In this episode, Meagan and Gaby explore what well-being means in the context of heritage language learning. From intergenerational trauma to compassion and forgiveness, they discuss how understanding the past can help heritage speakers and signers move toward healing and flourishing in their heritage journeys. 

Starting out a series on heritage languages in pop culture, Meagan and Gaby comment on themes from the popular Latinx remake of One Day at a Time, starring Rita Moreno and Justina Machado. Topics include cultural heritage, mental health, and language use within Spanish heritage communities, as they come up in the episode. 

Join us for a new season with Paul Meighan-Chiblow, Indigenous heritage speaker of Scottish Gael. Paul tells us about his journey learning his heritage language, and the emotional ups and downs of maintaining an Indigenous language, including working through historical traumas, celebrating family support, and connecting to the land. 

Meagan and Gaby chat about the challenges that exist for in-group scholars in heritage language studies. Representation, positionality statements, allyship, and community-building, this episode dives into creating a field by and for the heritage community. 

Andre shares his experiences as a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA), his advocacy work as a student at Gallaudet University, and on Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and ASL communities in the DMV. This episode is sponsored by HumanitiesDC! :) *This is the audio-only version of the episode - head to our YouTube channel for the video, including ASL interpretation!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wWMfJKlDVs&t=...

In this episode, we chat with Claudia Zurita, a Spanish-English bilingual elementary teacher in the DMV. She shares her own experience moving to the US from Bolivia as a child, her transition into teaching, and her work now within a bilingual education setting. This episode is sponsored by Humanities DC.

In this episode, Mahalet Samson tells us about her work in healthcare awareness and literacy with Ethiopian, Eritrean, and the larger African American community in the DMV. Tune in to hear how her Amharic language and heritage culture have helped her to build trust and make an impact within the communities she serves. Mahalet also shares advice for anyone looking to enter into healthcare advocacy...

Join us for an episode on the hybrid experiences we live during the holiday season as heritage speakers between cultures. Happy holiday season!

In this episode, we chat with Dennis Georgatos, a heritage speaker of Greek, about his journey reconnecting with his roots. From his early experiences as a child of immigrants to his decision to take Greek classes in retirement, Dennis reflects on how his relationship with his heritage has evolved over the decades. Whether you’ve been thinking about reconnecting with your heritage language or expl...

In this episode, we chat with Yilin Zhang about her experiences navigating her cultural identity as a Chinese American woman, her political advocacy, and her involvement in organizations that uplift Asian American voices. Tune in to learn more about her work at the Chinese American Museum, her efforts to support the Asian American community in DC, and her insights on the power of heritage, public...

Join us for the third episode in our "Returning to the heritage country" series to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! Juan Manuel Menjívar talks about returning to a changed El Salvador after so many years and with his own family now. He touches on post-war progress, language schooling for the new generation, and coping with parents returning to the homeland.

Join us with Professor Linda Lemus as she shares her experiences and tips for mentoring and supporting heritage speakers both in- and outside the classroom. 

Meagan, Jade, and Gaby talk about their experiences interpreting and translating for their parents and grandparents and the pride and pressure that comes with this language brokering. Have you had a similar experience? Drop a comment and subscribe for more! 

Pablo talks about his queer identity as a Cantonese-Hoisanese heritage speaker in Canada. He brings together his many identities and touches on religion, language, and family. Join us for this special episode to celebrate pride month!

Join us for a chat with our first European guest, Ivan Rašić, whose family fled from Yugoslavia to Austria in the 1990s during civil war. In today's episode, Ivan walks through some historical background of Yugoslavia's language context, as well as his personal experience growing up in Austria as a heritage speaker of Serbo-Croatian, a language that has since become separate languages. Ivan shares...

Join us for a chat with Tram Nguyen, founder and co-executive director of New Virginia Majority, as she shares how her Vietnamese-American background led her to a career in advocacy and community leadership. Find out how her refugee background and heritage perspective on major life and world events helped her find her voice. This episode is sure to leave you inspired and energized to take any smal...

Join Gaby, Meagan, and Jade as they discuss their paths from speaking heritage languages to teaching them to others. What does one have to study in order to do that? Have they always wanted to teach language? Listen and find out! 

Join us for a chat with Haʻalilio Solomon to honor and celebrate Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi - Hawaiian Language Month! From the history of revitalization and maintenance efforts, ways towards allyship, and grassroots efforts and organizations in Hawaiʻi, Haʻa shares his own background and gives us a little peek at how aloha can change the world. Don't miss him in the Hula Olympics April 4-6, 2024, stre...

Join us for the second episode in our "Returning to the heritage country" series! Raymond Pai tells us about his travels back to Indonesia - language, food, family, and lots of nostalgia - and his new motivations to return again soon. :) With a nod to our Cantonese-speaking listeners, too! 

In this episode, Alejandra Gutierrez joins us to cover the "no sabo" trend that has hit social media. She talks about the issues that "no sabo," or similar terms like "juk sing" in Chinese, have on heritage communities and how we're claiming the term as our own. 

Join us this episode as we hear from Paula Gobbi, a diplomat's daughter and Argentine heritage speaker of Spanish. Paula shares how she has experienced her heritage language and culture in the different countries and the adaptability and resilience she has developed as a result of her global citizenship.