WASHINGTON DC - The Joint National Committee for Languages and the National Council for Languages and International Studies (JNCL-NCLIS) is pleased to announce the addition of Brianna Gist, Communications and Public Policy Intern, to the JNCL-NCLIS team in Washington, D.C.
As a Communications and Public Policy Intern, Gist will be working closely with Alissa Rutkowski, Manager of Communications, Policy and Operations, to research federal legislation on language teaching, write blog posts about current events in the realm of language policy, and revitalize the JNCL-NCLIS’s website, media platforms and branding during the summer of 2020.
Gist is a rising senior at Georgetown University studying Linguistics, Government, and French, and is excited to bring her knowledge about policy and the scholarly field of linguistics to the council. Last year she worked for the Library of Congress as a Junior Fellow, where she conducted research on Native American communities and their contributions to the recorded sound industry. In addition to her work for JNCL-NCLIS, Gist is also working for the Eurasia Center, where she researches concerns relating to security and conflict resolution in West and Central Africa.
“New languages offer us the opportunity to experience the world from a more empathetic perspective, and I’m passionate about this because language influences our relationships, identities, and many aspects of our social and political consciousness,” Gist writes. “As a ‘linguist-in-training,’ I’m thrilled to work with the JNCL-NCLIS team and move toward advocacy work, which is central to raising awareness about language instruction and ethnolinguistic recognition.”
Gist is in the process of receiving her B.A. in Linguistics with a focus on sociolinguistics. During her time at Georgetown, she was fortunate enough to study abroad in Morocco where she utilized her French, Spanish, and Arabic skills to study Islam and North African Politics. This fall, she will begin the process of writing her honors thesis on analyzing the language of terror, and hopes to examine the ways that jihadist groups modify their recruitment strategies to target different language communities around the world. If you would like to reach out to Brianna or inquire about her work, she can be reached at policyintern@languagepolicy.org.
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About JNCL-NCLIS:
Established in 1972, the Joint National Committee for Languages (JNCL) and the National Council for Languages and International Studies (NCLIS) represent the Language Enterprise to the US government and business community. Our membership includes over 130 organizations, which employ more than 300,000 language professionals globally. Together, we form an all-inclusive network and encompass all areas of the language field: exchanges, research, technology, translation, interpretation, localization, testing and more. Our mission is to ensure that Americans have the opportunity to learn English and at least one other language.
Contact: info@languagepolicy.org