View Content #22356

Welcome to 2017! CASLS' staff took a moment to pause at the start of a new year and reflect on our hopes and wishes for 2017. 

“I’m hopeful for open and honest communication between human beings on earth. And, I’m also hopeful that 2017 will be a year of productive habit formation.” – Christopher Daradics, Language Technician

“My hope for 2017 is that we continue to strive towards intercultural understanding and that language plays an increasingly important role in making that happen.” – Dr. Julie Sykes, Director

“In 2017, I hope that more people in North America come to value multilingualism and the diversity of the linguistic landscape here.” – Lindsay Marean, InterCom Editor

“In 2017, I hope people respect and love each other regardless of their backgrounds. I hope to keep working with awesome people who love and care about each other.” – Li-Hsien Yang, East Asia Programs Director

“I hope that, in 2017, people will be inspired by love and compassion to do small, great things every day.” – Mandy Gettler, Associate Director

“For 2017, I hope for peaceful times and enough prosperity that everyone has a sufficiency, but not so much that it goes to their heads.” – Dr. Linda Forrest, Research Director

“I’m hopeful that 2017 will be a productive year filled with fun work and exciting challenges.” – Carl Burnstein, Educational Software Developer

“I hope that the new year brings a recommitment to acting with kindness, empathy, and curiosity—and with it, a reminder that we can all bring some light to the world around us.” – Kim Larsen, Office Specialist 2

“The Oxford Dictionaries word of the year was *post-truth*, an adjective defined as ‘relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief’. My hope for the new year is that the word of the year 2017 will be one of the following: *multilingualism* *intercultural competence* *new enlightenment* or *linguisticator*, a noun relating to or denoting a super-hero who saves the world by eliminating misunderstandings and encouraging open, honest, and sensible communication.” – Kathrin Kaiser, Instructional Designer

“In a world that appears more divided than ever, my hope for 2017 is that people – both abroad and at home – can embrace ways to look past fear, anger, and violence to reconcile their differences and find common ground to build off of for the sake of a more candid, compassionate future.” – Ben Pearson, Digital Technologies Associate

“Theodore Roosevelt once said, ‘Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.’ My hope for the new year is a continued realization of that chance and the potential it has to unload positivity into the world.” – Stephanie Knight, Assistant Director

“There are many parallels between language and art to the point where it could be argued that they are one in the same. My hope in 2017 and beyond is that we will wield the medium of language and its imbued power to boldly express our truths, celebrate our differences, make mistakes, empower our communities, and transform ourselves.” – Lara Higgins, Graphic Designer

“My hopes for 2017 are embodied in these three famous quotations: ‘The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn’ – Ralph Waldo Emerson; ‘Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined’ – Henry David Thoreau; ‘Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.’ – Oscar Wilde.” – Renée Marshall, International Programs Specialist