Franklin & Marshall’s international student population makes up roughly 20% of the student body, with students arriving from India, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Nicaragua, Morocco, Russia and many other countries. Walk across Hartman Green or into the dining hall and you can hear multiple languages spoken at once. This cultural diversity has fostered a strong sense of pride among students in their home countries and a deeper embrace of multiculturalism on campus.
To celebrate that diversity, the International Student Advisory Board (ISAB) hosted its fourth annual Mother Language Day poetry event this past Friday at the Writers House. ISAB, which represents more than ten cultures on campus, created the event as a space where students could speak freely in the languages that shaped them — languages that are often set aside in dorm drawers or quieted in classrooms in the effort to assimilate.
With dimmed lighting and an intimate setting, the Writers House felt intentionally warm and almost like home. For senior students, the event marked an emotional “full circle moment,” a final opportunity to share their language and identity before graduating. For first-year students, such as Marlene Basner, it was an empowering introduction to campus life, offering a space to honor their roots while sharing personal reflections about home.
The evening began with a welcoming address and a brief meet-and-greet, followed by opening remarks from Shubham Jha ’26. “Language carries identity,” he said, reflecting on how our mother tongues hold pieces of who we are, even when we are far from home. Jha also recounted the history of the Bengali Language Movement and the struggle to have Bengali recognized as an official language in Pakistan in 1956, emphasizing that Mother Language Day is not only a celebration, but also a remembrance of resistance. Alongside his speech, he shared a poem he wrote during a lonely night in London — a reminder that language connects us even in moments of isolation.
Throughout the night, common themes emerged: the fight against oppression and the reclamation of identity. For many international students, college can feel like a space where parts of oneself — especially language — are muted in order to fit in. Mother Language Day directly challenged that pressure.
Ibrahim Bin Amjad recited Mai Nahi Manta by Habib Jalib, a powerful poem of protest against authoritarianism in Pakistan. Mariam Petrosyan read I Want To Live by Shushanik Kurghinian, highlighting struggles for women’s equality in Armenia. Their performances underscored not only the importance of preserving language, but also the necessity of protecting freedom of expression — a right, as Amjad noted, “that only few can access.”
The event also celebrated contemporary voices. Shubham Jha and Sarwesh Acharya shared original poems, Usney Kaha in Urdu and Room in Nepali, demonstrating that mother languages are not only historical artifacts but living, evolving forms of expression.
What might have seemed like an ordinary Friday evening became something far more meaningful — a celebration of culture, resistance, identity, and belonging. As an international student who grew up without freedom of speech, this is a right I don’t take for granted. It’s something I deeply cherish —and one that should never stop being fought for. Through poetry and shared vulnerability, our students reminded one another of the importance of preserving language, but most importantly, to fight for those who struggle to preserve it.
Freshman Francesca Rayo is the Managing Editor. Her email is frayogue@fandm.edu.