Some may think of taking a language at NP just as another graduation requirement, but others take it because they have a driving ambition to learn about another culture. Georgianna Eck, a junior at NPHS has made long strides as a foreign language student. Receiving a high score of 95% on the Japanese National Exam, along with an exceptional interview and essay in Japanese, Eck has earned herself a chance of a lifetime.

Eck describes her upcoming two and a half week journey in Japan this summer.

“I am going to two other cities in Japan, Osaka and Kyoto. I will be visiting Buddhist temples, so that’s something I’m really looking forward to. Also, I’ll be meeting other high schoolers, middle schoolers, and elementary schoolers. I’m going to be meeting a lot of students so that’s going to be fun.”

She claims that taking martial arts at a young age sparked her curiosity for Asian culture.

“I’ve been interested in languages since I was a kid and Japanese was challenging. I’ve done martial arts since I was about six and that got me interested in Japanese,” Eck explained.

But achieving as highly as Eck did in a foreign language isn’t a natural talent; it’s rather a skill she’s been perfecting since elementary school.

With the help of the Japanese language teacher, Mrs. Noriko Coyle, she independently taught herself Japanese since sixth grade. Eck has kept a friendly relationship with her Japanese teacher throughout the years. Under Mrs. Coyle’s guidance, Eck was given information about upcoming opportunities she could take relating to Japanese. In fact, she was dedicated enough to research the Japanese language as well as purchase textbooks and dictionaries.

“I want to go to college for something in foreign language,” she said.

“I would like to do foreign language in my career if possible. That would be a big motivator for me… I want to do foreign advertizing. I would like to go into business if possible – foreign business.”

Aside from her language abilities, Eck thrives in writing. She is the Editor and Chief for Magazine Troubadour at NPHS and as a hobby, Eck claims to be capable of writing “novel length books.”She wishes to excel in her writing skills even after high school.

“I plan to be an author [but] I plan on getting my work published separately [aside from] what I’m going to college for,” Eck explained.

Eck is the only child at home. She mentioned that her parents are two of her “best friends.” She will be missing her family as well as some of her closest friends at NPHS.

She shares her advice to other students who are aiming for a high score in the National Exam.

“Don’t just study for the exam. You’re not going to be prepared if you don’t study before that. For the National Exam I would study the packets the teacher gives you. I study online and I study all year“ she added.

Not only does she keep her focus on Japanese, but she hopes to take Mandarin in college. By becoming multilingual, Eck gives herself the opportunity to learn more languages; the more people she can meet, the more cultures she can learn about.

Eck serves as a role model for her hard work ethic and dedication, but more importantly, her achievements reveal to us how far a NP student can go with the knowledge and passion of a foreign language.