ST. LOUIS - South City native Joseph Harris is about to start his sophomore year at Princeton University, and he credits his time as a student in St. Louis for pushing him toward an Ivy League institution. Harris spent kindergarten through eighth grade at St. Louis Language Immersion School, where he learned to speak Spanish and faced challenging coursework to prepare him for the future. A first-generation college student, Harris is now using his voice to inspire kids in St. Louis to reach for the stars this fall.
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Harris doesn’t just hit the books at Princeton, but he is also a student-athlete and plays football for the Tigers. In SLLIS’ dual-language model, students learn their subjects in two languages, English and a target language of either Chinese, French or Spanish. Throughout his time at SLLIS, Harris learned to be adaptable, switching between English and Spanish daily, which has helped him in his studies and as a Division I wide receiver.
“I don’t think I would be at Princeton if it weren’t for SLLIS because of all the opportunities I received there,” Harris said. “As a child, it sets you up for success in so many ways. From a young age, I was really challenged in the classroom. It wasn’t always easy at SLLIS because I was young and immature, but having to do difficult coursework and the rigorous task of learning another language molded my skills and leadership abilities both in the classroom and on the football field.”
Harris said students don’t declare their major until the end of their sophomore year at Princeton. Right now, he’s leaning toward psychology or sociology, and he’ll minor in Spanish to continue his education in the language. For Harris, experiencing new things and different cultures is a vital part of his life. He also plans to study abroad while at Princeton.
“No matter where you come from or your background, with hard work, anything is possible,” Harris said. “Growing up in South City, nothing was handed to me, and I really had to work for it. I try to be a mentor for younger guys both at school and on the field. I’ve always been really big on trying to be as diverse as possible and learning as much as possible. Learning another language at SLLIS added so much to my toolbox. It allows me to connect with an entirely different community than I’m familiar with. I’ve learned so many new cultures and traditions. Now I’m able to connect with a lot more people throughout the world.”
Harris dreams of playing in the NFL, and beyond that, he plans to pursue a career in sports media and analytics.
