USC’s diverse student body allows for many languages and cultures to float throughout the population. Whether in unique classes, student-founded organizations or clubs, there are endless opportunities on campus for students to embrace their cultural identities.

Not all students find these groups to be particularly enticing, though. It can be an unfortunate reminder that one’s proficiency is better than others despite being the same age and speaking the same language.

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Estaban Santos, a sophomore majoring in international relations, was born in New Jersey to a family whose maternal side relocated from Colombia. The only Spanish that stuck with him came while growing up with his grandmother. Identifying as Hispanic, Santos’ Spanish is at a conversational level as his only exposure to the language is from speaking on the phone with family and in his Spanish class at USC.

“I don’t like speaking [Spanish] if I’m being honest,” Santos said. “I don’t like speaking in front of [other] speakers because I sound terrible.”

The potential disconnect from the language creates a feeling of insecurity, which manifests itself in conversations with people at USC who utilize Spanish more often in their everyday lives.

“When I meet other fluent Spanish speakers, I fall into this very stereotypical, like American category,” Santos said.

Xuan-Anh Lee Biggs, a sophomore majoring in screenwriting, recalls how her childhood in Riverside, California, impacted her knowledge of Vietnamese. Despite growing up hearing Vietnamese from parents who spoke it fluently, she explained that she can understand but struggles to communicate in the language.

“If someone’s talking about me, I can vaguely know what they’re saying,” Biggs said. “I can’t hold a conversation back.”

Madeleine Tsai, a sophomore studying cinema and media studies as well as sociology, lived in mainland China until sixth grade and lived half a year in Taiwan and still speaks Mandarin fluently. Being close to Taiwan, she was able to visit often and keep familial connections. She later moved to the Bay Area with her parents.

“I speak in Chinese with my grandma because she doesn’t understand English,” said Tsai. “All of my aunts and my uncles think my Chinese is terrible.”

Despite the challenges of navigating a language barrier to stay bonded with family far away, Tsai enjoys helping her cousins with their English whenever she gets to see them in Taiwan.

“I help her with just trying to figure out the words to say, and she always says that whenever I go back, she has a good opportunity to practice her English,” Tsai said.

Growing up, Biggs always enjoyed the combination of Vietnamese and American holidays. Given that her father is originally from the United States and her mother was born in the U.S. to Vietnamese parents, both cultures played influential roles in her upbringing.

Other struggles with the language barrier frequently emerge in daily life, such as when Santos needs to assist his grandmother. Despite the language barrier, Santos is grateful for this close connection with his grandmother.

“I always know what my grandma’s saying,” Santos said. “I know enough to always understand her vocabulary. So I’d come with her to translate. I remember she’d always bring me to Ulta.”

Raising children while maintaining the family language wasn’t simple for Biggs’ parents, especially with their daughter receiving an education in English and Spanish. Even with both parents fluent in Vietnamese, Biggs and her siblings found it challenging to retain the language.

“My parents both speak Vietnamese fluently, but they didn’t teach any of us, really. I mean, they tried to, but it didn’t stick that well because we just heard English and Spanish around us all the time at school,” Biggs said.

Communicating within the family can be essential in keeping the language aspect of the culture alive. Phone calls and FaceTime help close the distance between Tsai and her parents and, as a result, help her hold on to her Taiwanese identity.

“[Speaking Chinese is] very meaningful to me because it’s one of the ways I can connect with my Asian culture and connect with other Taiwanese people on campus,” Tsai said. “When we do have the opportunity to speak in Chinese, it’s always kind of like a little bit funny and silly.”

Tsai is a member of the Taiwanese American Organization, which strives to create a space where students can learn more about Taiwanese culture.

“I think it’s definitely easier to find a cultural community at USC,” Tsai said.