Tanisha Colquhoun’s bilingual push
TANISHA Colquhoun, 36, is devoted to the study of languages, and champions the cause for children to be bilingual in order to have an edge in the increasingly global economy.
Born and raised in Kingston, Colquhoun attended Immaculate Conception High School where she first fell in love with Spanish.
She tells All Woman that it was during classes with current vice-principal Aba Polson that she developed the discipline to study the language and appreciate it, even though she never thought it would be instrumental in her future career.
Colquhoun’s turning point came during her freshman year in college when she made a trip to Costa Rica while pursuing a degree in Spanish and pre-law. For the first time she experienced Spanish as not just a course in a textbook, but the means through which she communicated with people on a daily basis.
From there on, Colquhoun began reaping the benefits of her second language and realised the true value of having a second language as a skill.
“My first two jobs in corporate America, where I spent a total of 10 years, both required fluency in Spanish. Studies consistently show that learning a second language improves one’s cognitive abilities. Studies also show that there is increased brain activity among bilinguals and multilinguals compared to monolinguals,” she said.
“Outside of these noteworthy benefits of learning a second language, [one must consider] the impact of a second language on commerce. Today’s economy is increasingly globalised. The workforce is becoming increasingly diverse and we have to communicate across countries, cultures, and languages to engage in commerce. English dominance is not guaranteed anymore. If we are to compete in this increasingly globalised economy, we have to adopt language skills other than English,” she explained.
And so, due to the projections and her desire to equip parents and students from around the world in their quest to be fluent in Spanish, Colquhoun, also a Spanish author, alongside her husband Lueroy, founded Happy and Bilingual, a Texas-based company with an online Spanish programme designed for students and parents.
“My ability to speak Spanish paved the way for our company, opening its doors to students, in addition to authoring my first book, ¿Dónde está mi hermana? which held the top spot on the bestsellers list on Amazon for books in the Educative Theory category. My second book, Veranos en La Playa, is currently on Amazon for preorder and will be released on June 26. The ability to speak a second language served as an inspiration for the formation of the Happy and Bilingual Foundation. Language education has a global element to it, and so are the outreaches of our foundation,” she said.
She added: “Some of the students enrolled in the programme also reside in Jamaica. From the comfort of their own home, parents are able to have their children get one-on-one, face-to-face training in Spanish through a virtual and live classroom session with an instructor. All initial sessions are free so that students and parents can experience its value before choosing to enrol in our programmes.”
Further, Colquhoun’s company is now offering an after-school Spanish immersion programme this fall, which is administered in Spanish by native Spanish speakers, giving parents the opportunity to immerse their children in Spanish each evening to maximise their time spent learning the language in the afternoon hours.
She is also the director and founder of the Happy and Bilingual Foundation, which alongside Project Kase raised funds to donate 200 backpacks and school supplies to two schools in Trench Town — Victory Basic School and Trench Town Seventh-day Adventist Basic School. She said there are plans to make this an annual event in Jamaica.
The foundation is also planning another charity event in Jamaica this year around the holidays called “Olaf brings back summer”, where Olaf the snowman from the popular animated movie Frozen will be having fun and giving toys to needy children.
Additionally, the foundation has three upcoming events in the US, a back-to-school event at a local orphanage, a Thanksgiving event, as well as an event to provide toys to needy children at Christmas.
Colquhoun’s two daughters are also fluent in English and Spanish, and she maintains that even monolingual parents can raise bilingual children if they employ the right tools and resources.
She believes that a life lived other than for self is a life well lived.
“I get immense joy out of life, and look for opportunities to do what Proverbs 31:8 says: A life lived in service to others is where our soul is truly satiated,” she declared.
