PRESS RELEASE

Spanish professor honored for advocacy for world languages

KOKOMO, Ind. — The ability to speak multiple languages has been a key factor in J.R. Pico’s life.

As teaching professor in Spanish and humanities, he’s championed the importance of world languages, multiculturalism, and diversity at Indiana University Kokomo. Recently, his efforts earned him recognition as the recipient of the 2024 Indiana Foreign Language Teachers Association (IFLTA) Distinguished World Language Advocate Award.

“This award is a great honor and is an acknowledgement of my extensive teaching experience in Indiana since 2006,” said Pico. “It represents my active dedication to students in all fields or majors. It also recognizes IU Kokomo as my home institution and the importance of spreading the teaching of other languages at our campus.”

Chancellor Mark Canada congratulated Pico on the award.

“It’s difficult to imagine a more enthusiastic, active, and genuine advocate for the teaching of languages and culture than Professor Pico,” he said. “ I have seen him in action, and he’s a wonder to behold.  I’m delighted to see him recognized for his extraordinary work.”

Israel F. Herrera, chair of the IFLTA awards committee, said Pico’s nomination highlighted his advocacy for Latino students at IU Kokomo and in the Kokomo community.

“J.R. worked tirelessly to get approval from National Headquarters to get admission for IU Kokomo into the highly regarded Sigma Delta Pi Spanish Collegiate Honor Society,” he said. “J.R. advocated to the IU Kokomo cabinet to get support and approval of the creation of the Latinos Unidos Hispanic Center and was appointed as the first Latino director of the IUK Hispanic Center,” Hererra said, adding that the creation of Latinos Unidos then led to the creation of the Multicultural Center, the Black Student Center, and the LGBTQ+ Center.

Learning languages at Universidad del Atlántico in Barranquilla, Colombia, gave him the tools to achieve his boyhood dream of traveling the world. He chose languages for teaching, which required Spanish and Latin, and then chose English, because it is spoken all over the world.

He also speaks some French, Italian, and Portuguese, basic German, and has learned greetings in Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, and Korean.

“By studying other languages, you open the door to a myriad of opportunities that will provide immense benefits and excellent results,” Pico said. “When you learn the language, you also learn the culture of the communities that speak it, you just cannot separate the two. Studying a foreign language can help improve your analytical thinking skills, as well as your memory power. Opening your mind to a new culture provides a better understanding of the entire world and its society.”

After earning his undergraduate degree, Pico lived in London, England for two years while earning a graduate certificate. He then moved home to Colombia to teach English and French for about a decade, before he moved to the United States and became a Spanish teacher. In addition to teaching the language, he also promotes the importance of international travel to learn about the world and its people.

“My dream is that more and more students understand the importance of knowing more than one language, so they can be more successful in the real world,” he said. “Knowing more than one language can be the decisive point when you apply for a job, travel, or meet someone who cannot communicate in English. I would like to offer more career opportunities, cultural understanding, and creativity to our students.”

The IFLTA Distinguished World Language Advocate Award recognizes a world language advocate whose contributions have helped advance world languages in Indiana