Langues sont le passeport de demain denotes French teacher Madame Francine Dupuis-Ho. In Spanish that would be Lenguas son el pasaporte del mañana. And for English speakers that phrase would simply translate to languages are the passport of tomorrow. Senior Ana Solis truly takes this saying to heart as she aspires to become a professional translator, her love for languages blossoming from an innate need to master the art of communication. The seeds for her passion were originally planted by Solis’s family. Because her mother Graciela Flores speaks very little English, Solis would translate to her native Spanish.

“I feel like at the beginning, when I had to translate for her all the time, it was a little tedious and I didn’t like it much,” Solis said. “What really inspired me is when I realized there are a lot of people that I want to communicate with, people I want to get to know. I would have to learn more languages to be able to do that.”

Flores admits that Solis displayed an aptitude for learning languages early in her life, beginning with Spanish and expanding outward to other languages.

“From the time that she was very little I realized that she had potential,” Flores said. “She already knew Spanish and she learned English at age 3 by watching television and speaking with her older sister. I helped her keep her Spanish and not lose it.”

After moving to Plano in the seventh grade, Solis had thought she would just use her prior knowledge of Spanish to fulfill her language requirements for graduation by taking the Credit By Exam (CBE) for three years and then going directly to Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish IV. However, her plans were altered by a simple scheduling mishap and she was placed in French instead.

“When I spoke with my counselor, I told her I wanted to take the CBE and take Spanish and French was my second choice but there was some confusion and a little mix up,” Solis said. “At first, I was a little upset because I would have to do something I hadn’t really chosen for myself at first but after the first few weeks when I started actually being able to write and speak to others in French, I realized that although it was a mix-up, it had been the right choice for me.”

Solis revels in the challenge posed by taking French, knowing that if she had pursued the route she had intended she would have merely been repeating what she already had learned rather than gaining new knowledge.

“Taking Spanish would have been a little too easy,“ Solis said. “I like that French pushes me to strive harder.”

She continues to speak French in a classroom environment and Spanish with her family. However, Solis’s home physically reflects the dichotomy of the two languages and their corresponding cultures in her life.

“In my room, I’m able to sit down and listen to French music or French CDs and it’s a little bubble away from my Spanish speaking home,” Solis said. “When I walk into the hallway or the living room, everything is in Spanish yet when I walk into my room I’m able to engulf myself in French.”

Solis refers to her room as a “safe haven” sprinkled with French memorabilia ranging from her medals from the National French Contest to her ribbons from Fête Français to the quotes splayed across her walls. Her mother recognizes the effect the course has had on Solis’ life and is in strong support of Solis learning as much as she can about the French language and culture.

“It has made her decide her career for the future and it has also made her more determined,” Flores said. “She has always been a studious child but learning French especially has impacted her work ethic and career choice.”

Although she had heard rumors of how French V Honors was equally or even more intense than Advanced Placement (AP) French IV, Solis concentrates her enthusiasm for translating and diligence on taking the class despite the added work and stress.

“We were giving a presentation one day,” Solis said. “I’m not one of the people that practices or prepares for it, I just went up there and I spoke. Madame Dupuis-Ho, my teacher, noticed that I was speaking more confidently and fluently, rather than having to stop and think and memorize.”

Solis was able to channel her newfound confidence in speaking and writing at a French competition. She entered categories such as a culture test, grammar test and a comic strip contest and walked away with a sense of pride and motivation.

“Once she realized that it does not matter if you make a few mistakes learning a new language, she was able to help others and became proficient in French,” Dupuis-Ho said. “It was definitely an ‘aha!’ moment.”

That one epiphany was quickly followed by another. One day, while in class, Solis recalls playing a game where Madame Dupuis-Ho gave the students a letter and asked them to come up with as many words as possible beginning with that letter.

“In this game when we had to say which words we had gotten, I realized that a lot of the words that I was saying were a lot different from everyone else,” Solis said. “Even though I couldn’t see my progression, at that moment I knew everyone in that class was progressing together.”

Her realization has motivated Solis to pursue foreign affairs or international relations as a major for her higher education. She also hopes to focus on business management so she can translate in business transactions.

“I found that going the business route would be one step toward being able to communicate with others and doing interpreting,” Solis said. “I’m hoping to major in foreign affairs and focus on small business management.”

She hopes to learn Portuguese, Italian and Korean as well to widen her spectrum of employment opportunities.

“That’s something I really like, being able to understand different methods of communication,” Solis said. “Essentially, learning languages has shown me that I can take something I had been doing every day and turn it into a career and a passion.”