Meet the Language Assistants (LAs)
Browse profiles of current language assistants, and learn more about the program.
Language Assistants
The Holy Cross Language Assistants programs are as rich and vibrant as the languages they support.
In and out of the classroom, language assistants from around the world help students accelerate their language skills and deepen their cultural understanding through structured lessons, extracurricular activities and everyday interactions.
For more than two decades, the Spanish and World Languages, Literatures and Cultures departments at Holy Cross have hosted a select group of language assistants from nine countries. These advanced, native-speaking students—recruited from Holy Cross study abroad sites and through Fulbright fellowships—bring energy, perspective and cultural richness to both the language programs and the wider campus community.
Programs
Language Assistants (LAs)
Hosted by the Spanish Department at Holy Cross, The LAs lead small, dynamic practicum sessions for Spanish language learners, where they bring the textbook to life through interactive and communicative activities to help reinforce classrooms lessons. Outside the practicums, LAs also play a major role in coordinating the many culturally rich extra- and cocurricular programs regularly held throughout the year, aimed to support language acquisition and cultural understanding. For more information, contact the Chair of the Spanish Department.
International Language Assistants (ILAs)
The distinctive International Language Assistant (ILA) program in the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures offers students the chance to study Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, and Russian in an immersive, culturally rich environment. Throughout the year, students engage in language labs, experiential learning opportunities, and a variety of cultural clubs and activities that bring language learning to life. International Language Assistants are not only central to these programs—they’re also a vibrant presence on campus, offering students the chance to interact with native speakers in everyday settings, both inside and outside the classroom. For more information, contact the Chair of the Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures.
Why Participate in a Language Assistants Program?
Because of this direct insight into another culture — an exchange that benefits both the students and the LAs — students begin to analyze their own culture through the eyes of a person raised outside of the United States, consequently broadening their global perspective. Through both LA programs, students learn as much about life as they do about language.
The impact of the program on me was far greater than I ever anticipated. I left with so many amazing memories and connections that I carry with me now back in Germany, and it still feels like a part of Holy Cross is with me wherever I go.
