[Chapel Hill, NC] Participate Learning and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) have launched the Participate Learning Bilingual Community Fellowship, a new initiative designed to strengthen middle school dual language programs through structured bilingual mentorship and leadership development.
The fellowship connects bilingual UNCG students with middle school learners in Participate Learning’s Conexiones dual language program, creating intentional opportunities for mentorship, identity development, and real-world language application.
With employers increasingly seeking employees who can communicate across languages and cultures and demand for bilingual skills rising across multiple sectors, the fellowship represents a strategic investment in preparing students for leadership in an increasingly multilingual workforce.
Investing in Bilingual Leadership at a Critical Stage
Middle school is a pivotal stage in both academic and identity development. For students in dual language pathways, this is when bilingualism begins shaping not only classroom performance, but future aspirations.
The Participate Learning Bilingual Community Fellowship was established to ensure middle school dual language students have direct access to bilingual role models who demonstrate how language skills translate into leadership, higher education, and career pathways.
Through the Conexiones para la Acción Diplomática (CAD) experience—a Spanish-language global diplomacy simulation—middle school students in Participate Learning’s Conexiones program represent nations and engage in structured debates on real-world global issues. This year’s event will take place in early March on the UNCG campus. UNCG fellows will serve as mentors and facilitators, guiding students through the academic and leadership components of the experience. They will also give Conexiones students a tour of the university in Spanish. Twenty-four UNCG students make up the inaugural fellowship class.
Addressing the Bilingual Gap
Senior Manager of Conexiones Jason Straus emphasized the need for a deliberate mentorship structure:
“We’re finding that it’s really hard for our students to come across bilingual role models. So we wanted to be intentional about connecting them.”
While dual language programs build strong academic proficiency, students do not always see how bilingualism connects to long-term opportunity. The fellowship was created to close that visibility gap—positioning bilingualism as an asset linked to leadership, higher education access, and professional growth.
What Distinguishes the Fellowship
The Participate Learning Bilingual Community Fellowship strengthens dual language pathways through:
- Focused Middle School Investment: The partnership targets a pivotal and often under-leveraged stage in bilingual program development.
- Structured Mentorship: UNCG fellows build sustained relationships with students throughout the CAD experience.
- Experiential Learning: Students apply academic Spanish in high-level simulations that develop critical thinking and communication skills.
- Leadership Development for Fellows: College participants gain professional experience, mentorship training, and access to career readiness support.
Rather than positioning bilingualism as a theoretical value, the fellowship makes leadership visible and actionable.
Who Benefits
The initiative strengthens the broader bilingual education ecosystem:
- Middle school dual language students gain access to relatable bilingual mentors and exposure to higher education environments where multilingualism is valued.
- Heritage speakers build academic language while affirming cultural and linguistic identity.
- English-dominant dual language learners deepen proficiency and confidence through authentic language use.
- UNCG fellows develop leadership skills and professional experience.
- Educators and school leaders gain a scalable model for reinforcing middle school dual language pathways through experiential learning and mentorship.
A Long-Term Vision for Bilingual Leadership
The Participate Learning Bilingual Community Fellowship represents a long-term investment in bilingual leadership development.
By connecting middle school students with college mentors, the partnership helps create a sustainable pipeline in which bilingual learners can envision themselves progressing from dual language students to higher education participants and future leaders.
The initiative reflects a shared commitment by Participate Learning and UNCG to strengthen dual language programs beyond elementary school, reinforce identity development during adolescence, and expand pathways to college and career readiness for multilingual students.
Through this new fellowship, both organizations are advancing a clear message: bilingualism is not an enrichment add-on. It is a strategic asset that prepares students for leadership in an increasingly interconnected world.
