Students of the Month

Once our students, always our students! Believe it or not, we keep track of the children who have come through our program over the years. The very first group of students who joined us when we started in 2010 are now between 19 and 23 years old. They are growing into remarkable young adults- thriving in life, finishing college, pursuing graduate degrees, and finding their own paths.

At LangoKids, our goal has always been about more than passing a Spanish test or learning enough to travel or work as a tour guide. We want our students to use language as a bridge- to connect with others , support their communities, and become ambassadors or linguist and cultural understanding.

This past weekend we received a wonderful surprise when two of our former students stopped by for a visit. Sophia and Annelisa Budd. We couldn't wait to catch up and hear what they are doing today.

Hello I'm Sophia Budd (21 years old). I will be graduating in 2027 from UCR with a Bachelor's degree in Biology. After, I plan on taking a gap year to take the MCAT to apply to medical school. I will also be working, volunteering, and doing research. My goal is to become a doctor and serve in underserved communities. Spanish has helped me develop friendships and communicate with more people on a more personal level. At work, I can be connected with patients and colleagues as I work with a large Spanish speaking community. I hope to keep using Spanish in my career. I want patients to feel heard and understood, especially when language barriers might otherwise leave them feeling helpless or misunderstood. I have so many wonderful memories from my time at Lango from learning songs to participating in performances. One memory that stands out is when we learned to dance to Coco No and performed it in front of our parents.

Hi! I'm Annelisa Budd (years old). I am a senior at Beckman High School in Irvine. Last year I took the AP Spanish and earned a score of 4.0. My goal is to become an artist. Right now I'm focused on finishing school and building my portfolio to apply to important art local and out of state art schools. I also have great memories from my time at Lango where we did lots of lots of art projects that sparked my curiosity nd helped me recognize a talent that I could continue developing as I grew older.

Seeing Sophia and Annelisa again reminding us why we love what we do. Their stories reflect the lasting impact that learning, encouragement, and meaningful experiences can have on a child's life. To them and to all the students who joined us from 2010 and 2015, we love you all and we love seeing you how far you've come and couldn't be prouder of all you've accomplished and all that lies ahead. Keep dreaming, keep speaking Spanish and keep brining people together!

With love and price,

Cristina and the LangoKids Irvine Team