Franklin's Masters Program

Here's what's happening:

I studied linguistics (if you know me, you know I always talk about it), and I've been accepted to study at the University of Edinburgh in September 2017 to get my MSc in Linguistics. However, in what will have been the three years since I graduated, I've made minimal money. While grad school abroad is less expensive than in the States, I still am struggling to make enough to supply for an entire year of tuition, rent, and food. Originally, my goal was to save $30,000 in my 16 months between living in Lithuania and moving to Scotland, but since the job market in Ohio is much less illustrious than I'd originally anticipated, I've lowered my goal to $15,000. I'll be taking student loans and applying for scholarships as well, but I want to play it safe and have enough money for unforeseen costs (i.e. airfare, textbooks, visas, etc.).

And why is this important?

I had an internship in the Solomon Islands in the summer of 2013. While I was collecting words in an endangered language and compiling a picture dictionary, I discovered what I really want to be doing with my life: collecting words in endangered languages and creating resources for the people they belong to. Yet, like any good work, this goal requires money. Yes, initially this money is for my education, but it's for the further goal of doing something productive in the world. 

Why does mother-tongue literacy matter?

If you're an advocate of education, then you know how important it is for people to have available resources. But in many places in the world, even if there are resources, they might not be in a student's native language. 

If you're an advocate of Bible translation, people need to be able to read their own language before they can read any book. 

If you believe in the importance of diversity, creating resources in minority languages is what keeps these languages alive in the modern world. Why would a Kalmyk continue to speak Kalmyk if it's useless in a progressive culture? Or Akhvakh? Or Ulch? Or Enets? Or Nenets? Or Orok? (Fun fact: all of those are in Russia) We need things like car manuals, cook books, street signs, and credit card junk mail in minority languages to make using them worthwhile.

So, if you feel motivated and compelled by my humble plea above, I'd appreciate your donations. 

Raemanoha hana 'au ("Thank you" in 'Are'are: "My heart is happy because of you")