Learning to speak another language is a popular pursuit of many students. Becoming fluent in another language not only allows you to interact with other people, but also allows you to become fluent in the expression of another culture entirely. Jack Byrne ’17, another student of Period 6 Senior Quest, has decided that his goal for the year is to become fluent in German.

For Byrne, the story behind his interest in German is as interesting as it is influential. “When my father was in high school, he enrolled in three consecutive German classes,” Byrne said. “He has peppered me with many German phrases I didn’t understand, which inspired me to learn German so I could do the same to my kid one day.”

So far, Byrne has completed half a lesson out of the five total lessons in Rosetta Stone’s German course. Because of this, Byrne does not believe he’ll finish the course in its entirety or be able to become fluent, however, Byrne is planning on studying the language in college and is hoping the course will prepare him more for what is to come. After college, Byrne plans “to follow in Rod [Clark]’s footsteps and go into the Peace Corps.”

Overall, Byrne is enjoying Senior Quest immensely, saying it’s “the only class that treats me as an adult.” Although he may not be able to complete the language course this year, it’s only a matter of time before Jack Byrne is touring Germany, fluently.