Languages Leading the Way: Bridge Program Serves Thousands of Utah Students

In 22 out of Utah’s 41 school districts and six charter schools, high school students are engaged in unique dual language immersion (DLI) classrooms and are receiving upper division college credit for it. Whether they are aware of it or not, they’re in a program that is ranked #1 in the United States for advanced language learning. The Bridge Program is offered at 90 high schools and serves over 4,700 students, with the state's administrative hub located in the University of Utah's Second Language Teaching & Research Center (L2TReC). This center partners with all six of Utah's 4-year institutions to deliver these courses.  

The Bridge Program is unique in the DLI landscape because it honors students' language learning through DLI by offering upper division (3000-level) coursework while in high school. Utah was the first state to offer this fully articulated K-16 language program. Just one other state, Delaware, has replicated the "Utah Model," and other states around the country are working to bring this to their DLI students.  

Michael Middleton, Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Graduate Studies in the College of Humanities where the program is housed, says, “The Bridge program represents K-12/higher ed partnership at its finest, serving thousands of Utah high school students each year and delivering nationally renowned language education as well as a pathway to college.” 

The DLI model provides grade level core content instruction to students in a second language. Starting as early as kindergarten or first grade, students can receive DLI education where half of their school day is taught in English, and half in a target language, including Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin), Portuguese, French, and German.  

This immersion experience sets students up for success, preparing them to utilize languages with deep understanding of culture and communication. As Christopher Lewis, associate professor and chair of the Department of World Languages & Cultures points out, “Some people might think ‘if I already speak Spanish, why should I take this literature class?’ Or, ‘I already speak Chinese,’ — or ‘AI can speak it for me’ — ‘so why do I need a class on Chinese history and culture?’ And the reason is because translating vocabulary, parsing grammar, and understanding syntax aren’t really enough. By themselves, they are not the same thing as communication. In order to fully understand, to fully work with another culture, another people, you have to understand their stories. That’s how you build the necessary trust and relationships. And that’s where the Bridge program and its articulation with our university programs really shines.”

The Bridge Program’s impact is far-reaching, an extension of Utah’s best-in-the-nation DLI program. DLI students are positioned to take Advanced Placement (AP) language courses in grade 9, 10, or 11. After passing the AP test, they have early access into the Bridge Program courses. As upper division courses, they allow students to begin their language minor and major while still in high school. Students graduate high school ready to finish their college minor in just two or three more courses once they reach any of Utah's public 4-year institutions: U of U, USU, WSU, UVU, SUU, and UT.

Jill Landes-Lee, the program’s director, says her guiding star question is always, “To what degree are we serving our community?” She believes strongly in the impact of language education, and she backs it up with professional outcomes data. Many Bridge students graduate high school not only with the Seal of Biliteracy, but also with an option to acquire a professional certificate measuring foreign language proficiency.

 Students and parents are also enthusiastic about the Bridge program. Denitza Blagev, a parent whose three children participated in French DLI, says “Language and culture are so tied together, that learning a different language has allowed my kids to be open to hearing different perspectives in the world…it helps them be flexible in considering other perspectives and possibilities. [Bridge] has been such an incredible gift for my kids’ education and their classmates and overall school environment.”  

It’s not all classroom instruction, either. Throughout the year, the Bridge program hosts numerous events on campuses for students to build connections with the university. At the U, these campus visits are opportunities for Bridge students to take a campus tour of their partner university, attend mini-lectures delivered by World Languages & Cultures faculty, and meet one-on-one with campus resources like domestic and international internships through the Hinckley Institute of Politics, the Admissions Office, Learning Abroad, and learn about scholarship opportunities.  

Javier Berzal, a U of U Spanish instructor and Bridge coordinator at both Murray and West High, brought several students to a campus visit this month, and says, “[This visit] allowed students to see the connection between the program and the university as something real, tangible, and not abstract. That type of experience-sharing activity works very well with our students.”

Language fairs are offered periodically by the Portuguese and Chinese Bridge Programs. Attending these fairs is an incredible experience, a pleasant disorientation that comes from being surrounded by crowds of Utah high-schoolers chattering fluently in their target language. At a recent Chinese DLI and Bridge Program Fair, students performed everything from folk dances to singing a self-composed song in Mandarin, took part in a Jeopardy-style quiz show entirely in Chinese, and attended a calligraphy class instructed by a master of the art—maintaining the entire day solely in Mandarin with no English spoken by students or adults.  

The Bridge Program also serves as an engine for improving social mobility, enrolling students who are economically disadvantaged and who are English Learners at higher rates than the state for enrollment in Advanced Placement, Concurrent Enrollment, and International Baccalaureate programs combined.  

As a language professor and chair of World Languages and Cultures, Lewis is passionate about the importance of Bridge. Bridge uses a dual-teacher model, where the high school teacher and university instructor work together to deliver an educational experience that is truly reflective of the standards and quality of college-level work. Describing the state Bridge Program team’s efforts to ensure that students have access to the outstanding education, Lewis says, “[The L2TReC Program administration] goes to extraordinary lengths to ensure that the curriculum is reflective of a 3000-level language course on campus. Bridge is more rigorous and comes closer to replicating a campus experience than any concurrent enrollment program out there.”  

Utah is unique in the shared cultural value placed on language education, in part because of the “missionary effect” of LDS culture. This broad base of support for a multilingual and multicultural populace is absolutely necessary to participate in the global initiatives that are prioritized by the university and the state – from the Hinckley Global Internship program to student exchanges to Salt Lake City’s successful bid for the 2034 Winter Olympics.

The Language Bridge Program gives Utah’s high school students a boost, opening doors to more opportunities from an earlier age. U of U student Naomi Rowley, a Spanish and Linguistics double major who participated in Bridge during high school, says, “The Bridge Program prepared me for college by allowing me to interact with professors from the University of Utah. This meant that the transition to the University felt less intimidating because I was less afraid of talking to my professors. Collaborating with my professors has allowed me to find opportunities with internships, research, and scholarships.”  

It makes perfect sense that the Bridge program has been so successful at the U, where the priorities are student learning and experience, excellence in research, and unsurpassed societal impact. As Lewis puts it, “Bridge is student success, experience, AND community engagement all in one program.”  

To find out more about Utah’s Language Bridge Program, including new videos highlighting student experiences, visit the website.