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Sean Brenner/UCLA Humanities
UCLA’s language departments, including Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, presented language-themed activities and games, snacks and advice for students interested in language study.
| February 11, 2025
For hundreds of students from UCLA and two local high schools, a little rain wasn’t going to get in the way of celebrating global languages.
Feb. 5 marked the successful return of UCLA’s World Languages Day, which was being held for the first time since 2018. Student volunteers, staff and instructions from language programs across the Humanities Division staffed booths at Bruin Plaza, offering language-themed games, culturally relevant snacks and practical information about opportunities to study in any of the dozens of languages at UCLA.
Students earned rewards for collecting signatures on their World Languages Day passports.
And even with rain falling steadily throughout the five-hour event, an estimated 500 guests attended, and the energy and excitement were palpable. Students earned prizes like t-shirts and water bottles by getting their “language passports” signed at each booth they visited.
In brief remarks, Alexandra Minna Stern, dean of the Humanities Division, noted that UCLA is among the leading universities in the nation in terms of the breadth of languages offered. She expressed UCLA’s continued support for language programs and her intent to increase access to the campus’s language instruction. Stern also spoke about some of the tangible benefits of language study — from bridging cultures and historical eras, to the career opportunities that are available to those with language skills.
Nina Bjekovic, director of language programs in the Department of European Languages and Transcultural Studies, was the lead organizer for World Languages Day. She said the event was a fitting representation of UCLA’s diverse cultural fabric.
“The process of learning a new language remains one of the most rewarding and humanizing experiences — it fosters adaptability, cultural awareness and organic connection,” Bjekovic said. “The strong turnout reflects our students’ eagerness to engage in that process, immerse themselves in new ways of thinking and develop the skills that help us navigate and shape the future.”
Current Bruins weren’t the only students exploring UCLA’s language offerings. Event organizers invited teachers from Marymount High School and Palisades Charter High School — which was damaged in the Palisades fire last month — to bring their students as well, and dozens attended.