When Language Meets Leadership: Middle School Students Step Into Global Diplomacy at UNC Greensboro

Last week, middle school students from across North Carolina stepped into the roles of international diplomats. 

On March 5, nearly 500 students representing 28 schools and 15 districts gathered at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for Conexiones para la Acción Diplomática (CAD), a Spanish-language global diplomacy simulation hosted by Participate Learning. Throughout the day, students spoke on this year’s theme of animal wellbeing and protecting biodiversity, represented countries from around the world, and worked together to propose solutions—all while communicating entirely in Spanish.

These students are enrolled in Conexiones, Participate Learning’s middle school dual language program designed for post-immersion and heritage Spanish learners. The program helps students continue developing their bilingual skills while building cultural understanding and career readiness as they move beyond elementary immersion.

Whether students had only recently begun secondary language learning or had spent years practicing their bilingualism in the classroom, CAD offered a chance to use those skills in a setting that felt real.

A Middle School Trip to a College Campus

Home of the Spartans, the roads around UNCG’s Elliott University Center filled with school buses Thursday morning as students arrived.

Some had clearly dressed for the occasion. A few students wore suits and ties, or what one teacher affectionately described as their “church clothes,” leaning fully into their role as international ambassadors. Others had custom polo shirts made for the event, proudly representing their school as a team.

But even dressed for diplomacy, they were unmistakably middle schoolers: curious, a little chaotic, full of questions, and eager to explore everything around them. For some students, it was their first time visiting a college campus. 

Students began the day with a campus tour led by UNCG students and conducted entirely in Spanish. Then they received their “CAD passports,” collecting stamps from activity stations as they moved through EUC’s Cone Ballroom. 

One station invited students to warm up their Spanish in casual conversation with peers and mentors. At another, students tested their global knowledge by matching countries with their flags. In a corner, a mock news station gave students the chance to record short video segments about their school’s participation in CAD, reporting on the event as if they were international correspondents.

This year’s debate topic, animal wellbeing and protecting biodiversity, had its own activity station. There, surrounded by stuffed animals representing species from around the world, students wrote Post-it notes about their favorite animals and why protecting them matters.

Debating Global Challenges en Español

The afternoon’s debates were the heart of the day. Students represented different countries and discussed complex issues connected to animal wellbeing and biodiversity protection, including wildlife trafficking, habitat loss, and protecting endangered species.

In the weeks leading up to the event, students had researched their assigned country’s perspective on the issue. They prepared opening statements, practiced key vocabulary, and developed proposals they would bring to the debate.

Some students spoke on stage in the main auditorium while others presented to smaller groups of peers in college classrooms. It wasn’t perfect Spanish, and it wasn’t meant to be. What mattered was that students were communicating—asking questions, building on each other’s ideas, and working through complex global issues in a second language.

Seeing Bilingualism in Action

Throughout the day, students were joined by bilingual mentors from UNC Greensboro through the Participate Learning Bilingual Community Fellowship. These university students helped facilitate activities, guide conversations, and lead campus tours entirely in Spanish.

For many middle school students, it was their first real interaction with college students who regularly use their bilingual skills. The fellows showed students what their next step could look like: college classes, leadership roles, and career paths where speaking more than one language is a real advantage. 

Jason Straus, Senior Manager for Conexiones at Participate Learning, reflected on the day afterward.

“I was incredibly inspired to witness our students showcase their bilingual superpowers at this year’s CAD event. As someone who is bilingual myself, I know firsthand how speaking more than one language can shape your life and open doors both personally and professionally. In North Carolina, only about 12 percent of the population speaks two or more languages, so seeing middle school students confidently debate global issues in Spanish and interact with bilingual college students was incredibly powerful. These experiences helped them see real examples of how their language skills can support their education and open doors to meaningful careers. It gave me hope for the future of our state—that the next generation will strengthen their bilingual superpowers and use them to open doors for themselves and their communities.”

Why Experiences Like CAD Matter

What makes CAD memorable is the way it moves language learning out of the classroom and into real interaction. Rather than completing conjugation exercises or memorizing vocabulary, students are asking questions, negotiating ideas, and working together to solve problems that affect communities around the world. They will need these same collaboration, communication, and critical thinking skills in their future careers. 

The Conversations Continue

By the time students took off their nametag lanyards and boarded the buses to head home, the day’s events were still top of mind. As they found their seats, they chatted with one another—”¡En español, por favor!” a chaperone called out as a reminder—with that inexhaustible adolescent energy. One student slyly asked his teacher, “Can we drive by the soccer stadium on the way back?” 

“You mean, ‘¿El campo de fútbol?’” his classmate jokingly corrected.  

It had been a long day. But it was also the kind of day that sticks with students. 

As the buses pulled out, a few students were pointing out buildings they had seen earlier during the campus tour. Just like that, it was a little easier to imagine themselves in a few years’ time being a Spartan themselves.

Keep the Conversation Going in Your Middle School

Events like CAD show what’s possible when students use their bilingual skills to explore real-world challenges together. Learn how Conexiones helps middle school students continue developing their language skills, grow as leaders, and build career readiness beyond elementary immersion.