Multi-Cultural Family Produces Tri-Lingual Prodigy

While taking a single foreign language is challenging for some students, freshmen Isabelle Rostrepo is currently in both AP French and Spanish 4.

The tri-lingual Rostrepo can already speak both languages fluently, along with English. She has been writing and speaking three languages ever since she was a child, and credits her parents for helping her learn.

“My mom’s French and my dad’s Columbian, so he speaks Spanish and she speaks French, and as a baby they spoke to me in their native languages, and then I learned English when I went to preschool, because we lived in the U.S. then,” explained Restrepo. 

Since Restrepo’s parents still speak in their native languages at home, she still uses all 3 languages daily. “At home I speak Spanish with my dad, French usually with my mom and sometimes my sister, but just English with my whole family.” Both of Rostrepo’s parents tried to keep her immersed in their respective cultures while she was growing up. Rostrepo said that her father talks to her about sports in Columbia, and her mother teaches her French recipes. Additionally, Rostrepo was enrolled in a French school.

To date, she has lived in two different countries and three different states; “I was born in Miami, but we moved around a lot because of my mom’s job, so we only stayed there for a year. When I was 2, we moved to New York for 6 years until I was 8, then we moved to Hong Kong for 3 years, then back to New York for 2 years, and then we moved to California. We’ve been here for a year now, and we’re going on for a 2nd year.” Her family’s frequent moves are because of her mother’s company, which does the world marketing for Estée Lauder.

Rostrepo explained that Hong Kong was her favorite place to live in, and she admitted that she and her family might move back there before she graduates. “There’s a chance we might, we’re not sure yet but for now we’re just going to stay in California,” she said.

Rostrepo’s family is trying to stay in in one place so Isabel can have a consistent career in high school.

Rostrepo attended two international branches of “French school,” Lycée Français de New York (LFNY), and the French International School of Hong Kong (LFIS).  According to Rostrepo, her education at both schools was fairly consistent. “I went to French school in New York and Hong Kong, so in that way it’s like, we had the same classes and the same curriculum, because it’s like a branch of French schools that go into major cities,” said Restrepo.

It was relatively easy for her to stay in contact with the friends she made while abroad. “In Hong Kong, I think it was easier because in that age I could have email and stuff, and our parents sometimes know each other, so we can stay in contact in that way. When I came back to the school in New York after moving, we all still knew each other because our parents knew each other. I still do stay in contact with them,” said Restrepo.

At Campolindo, she generally speaks English, but she does have one friend on her tennis team that she talks to in French; “Sometimes if we just want to say something, you know, about the other players or the coaches during our games, we’ll just speak in French,” said Restrepo. 

Though she is fluent in Spanish and French, Restrepo still needs to meet the language requirements in order to graduate. “I’m taking AP French for the credit, and just to practice some French because I do some extra reading for the class. I also take Spanish 4. I’ve never taken Spanish before, but I have taken French before at French school,” said Restrepo. 

Restrepo has encountered some challenges with her Spanish class, mainly because her teacher is from Spain. “The Spanish I’ve been taught is sometimes not as formal as hers, but it’s pretty much the same thing,” Restrepo said. While all Spanish speakers use a basis of “Castellano” Spanish, there are many variations of the language around the world.

“I feel like I can communicate with people in certain places. Like when I traveled to France, Paris specifically, they don’t like tourists a lot, so knowing French for sure gives you an advantage, they treat you a different way, and same thing goes for Spanish. If you go to Latin America, and you speak Spanish very well, they won’t treat you like a tourist or an American, they’ll treat you like you’re part of their culture,” said Restrepo.

She also hopes to use her language aptitude in a future career. “My dad really likes that I speak these three languages because for business it’s pretty good because I can communicate with different countries. I can speak to the French people, not just in France but around the world, and Spanish can be useful for the entire Southern continent,” said Rostrepo.

Containing her wanderlust as she gets older is Restrepo’s plan. While she hopes to visit more of the world, she would also like to attend a university, which requires a more settled lifestyle. “I think that, when I’m older, I kind of want to stay in one place. But also just take off a few years, just to experience and maybe travel the world a bit more.”