Language, Identity, and Learning to Advocate
- Rishmitha Bollu
- Feb 27
- 4 min read
Language is defined as a system of communication used by a particular country or community. But for me, it means so much more than that. It represents family, memory, and identity. When English isn’t enough to express the depth of my emotions, I often find myself switching to Telugu. Telugu is not just a language I speak; it is my home. It is the language of my childhood and an integral part of who I am.
Language holds context, emotions, and affection. Telugu is how I express myself: it represents the stories my grandparents told me as a child, the sarcastic phrases I use to annoy my brother, and the movies I watched with bubbling excitement. My memories are painted in Telugu. When I think about my family I don’t remember all the “I love yous” and “I hate yous” in English, but rather in Telugu.
At the same time, English represents another part of me. I think of my school friends, teachers, and classmates in English. These two languages each represent a different piece of my life, both of which are indispensable to my identity. Language is more than words, it carries centuries worth of culture, history, and memory within its very fibers. This is why being raised in Telugu and educated in English played a crucial role in making me who I am today.
Because language is so closely connected to identity, representation in schools is essential. One way schools recognize multilingualism is through the Seal of Biliteracy, which is an award given to high school graduates who demonstrate proficiency in English and at least one other language. The Seal appears on diplomas and transcripts, formally acknowledging students’ multilingual skills for colleges and other future opportunities.
I didn’t know it at the time, but this program was going to have a significant impact on my life.
One day, while casually reading my school newsletter, I paused on the section listing the available languages for the Seal of Biliteracy. As I skimmed the list, my heart sank. I couldn’t find Telugu anywhere.
At that moment, I felt a pang of sadness that I couldn’t quite explain. Later, I realized it’s because I wasn’t being seen and because I couldn’t even earn recognition for a language I had learned and spoken with so much love. Without that recognition, I felt as though an important part of me didn’t belong.
That absence affected me more than I ever expected. Like so many others, I felt invisible, and education should be the one place that doesn’t look past people. That desire to have students like me feel seen and valued led me to language advocacy, before I even knew it had a name.
After advocating for myself and my language community, I learned something that I will never forget: I didn’t need to be older, smarter, or more qualified to advocate for what matters to me. Advocacy starts with noticing a gap, caring enough to question it, and being willing to try even before you feel ready. I know that if I waited until I felt qualified or ready I would never have tried advocating for my language. While the process was challenging and frustrating at times, the elation I felt after finally seeing Telugu included in the Seal of Biliteracy made it all worthwhile.
Path to the Telugu Seal of Biliteracy
Prior to 2025, the Seal of Biliteracy in Minnesota did not include Telugu in its language options. This meant that roughly 1,403 students, including myself, were left without a voice in our native language.
To change this, I researched the process for getting Telugu added into the current Seal. I reached out to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) to ask if this could be accomplished.
The MDE responded and shared that this process to include Telugu had begun several years earlier, but it slipped through the cracks before completion. They then invited me to join them in reviving the project.
Through the collaboration between the MDE, the people from the Telugu speaking community, and myself, we worked to complete the remaining parts of the project. The required assessments for the Seal had already been created but had not yet been approved, so we focused on ensuring the approval of the missing parts.
In the end, Telugu was added to the list of the Seal of Biliteracy eligible languages in Minnesota. Telugu now appears on the official MDE Seal of Biliteracy website, and many students will have the opportunity to take the assessment this year to earn the Seal on their diplomas.
For more information on the Minnesota Seal of Biliteracy, visit:
About the Writer
Rishmitha Bollu is a junior in high school who is passionate about language advocacy. She became involved with JNCL around last summer after discovering her interest in language advocacy through her local endeavors and is also a member of the NNELL Outreach Committee. She hopes to be able to continue advocating for language education and representation.
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