At just 19 years old, Akiša Peters teaches at the Sisseton Wahpeton Tribal College. He specializes in a language that is thousands of years old, the Dakota language, spoken by the Dakota people.

“The Dakota language is 'the most important aspect' of Dakota culture. Without it, our Dakota culture would no longer exist.” Peters claimed. “I was lucky to grow up around many first-language Dakota speakers. But now the elderly continually passed away and at the end of their lives, they just wanted to know their families would continue to have the language. One of the problems our people have is finding ways to get at-length and consistent exposure to the language.”

Aside from instructing at the college level, Peters uses social media to share videos that integrate humor, culture, and basic-level conversation to help teach Dakota. In his free time, he visits Dakota elders. He also started an online group of youth to converse and share the knowledge of the language in a safe and supportive space.

Akiša Peters wants to tell the youth that if they want to learn their own language, sit with their elders and learn from them. Endless vocabulary sheets could discourage them from learning. Standards created by non-speakers could also do that. “Within the next decade, I assume, me, my colleagues, and other Dakota-learning relatives will have children and start a new generation of Dakota. I also hope my brothers and sisters will take the path we laid out for them and continue to learn and speak Dakota On my reservation there are numerous young people working on the comeback of the language. I'm hopeful because I'm definitely not alone.” Akiša Peters told Teenvogue.

Learning a new language like English can be a challenge.    5    Classes are important, but so is disciplined practice. It can even be fun. Here are some guidelines to help you become a better English learner.

Study every day. Learning any new language is a time-consuming process, more than 300 hours according to some estimates. Rather than try and cram a few hours of review once or twice a week, most experts say short, regular study sessions are more effective.    6    

    7    Instead of focusing on one single task for the entire study session, try mixing things up. Study a little grammar, then do a short listening exercise, then perhaps read an article on the same topic. Don’t do too much; 20 minutes on three different exercises is plenty. The variety will keep you engaged and make studying more fun.

Read, watch, and listen. Reading English-language newspapers and books, listening to music, or watching TV can also help you improve your written and verbal comprehension skills.         8    

Write it down. Repetition is key as you're learning English, so writing is a great way to practice.    9    By making a habit of writing, you’ll also find your reading and comprehension skills improve over time. You may even discover you’ve got a talent for writing.