On Friday, April 17, Oakland University’s Chaldean Language Workshop marked the end of its first academic year with a graduation ceremony recognizing students who completed both the introductory and intermediate levels of the program while highlighting efforts to preserve the endangered language.
Held in the Habitat within the Oakland Center, the event brought together students, faculty and university leaders, including OU President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz and Graduate School Dean Brandy Randall, to honor graduates’ academic commitment and cultural dedication.
The student-led workshop was founded by Stephen Hannawi, an Oakland University master’s student in artificial intelligence. Through biweekly instruction, the organization teaches speaking, reading and writing in Chaldean, a language tied to the Chaldean Catholic community and Mesopotamian heritage.
“Tonight we celebrate not only their hard work and dedication, but also something much greater,” Hannawi said. “The preservation and the revival of an ancient and sacred language, and also heritage and a living identity of Chaldeans.”
Hannawi said the program was created in response to concerns that younger generations were losing access to the language.
“The language was fading away, and this motivated me to start this,” he said. “Your support made a difference.”
Randall praised the workshop’s educational and community impact, noting that language preservation extends beyond the classroom.
“Language carries culture, it preserves heritage, and it shapes how we understand the world,” Randall said. “When a language is no longer spoken, we don’t just lose words. We lose an entire way of seeing and understanding of the world.”
She also noted that students have already used their skills to help Chaldean speakers navigate medical appointments and other daily needs.
“This is the power of language in action: removing barriers, building trust, and improving lives,” she said.
Associate Professor of Linguistics Jason Overfelt said long-term preservation depends on passing the language to future generations through everyday use.
“If the community is truly going to save their language, the goal is to make sure that children are hearing it, children are using it, and children are acquiring it,” Overfelt said.
Workshop Vice President Sarah Kenetha said she first discovered the program through social media and quickly saw its practical value for her clinical work: translation.
“I encounter many language barriers, especially with patients who have difficulty expressing how they feel,” Kenetha said. “In those moments, I do my best to support them and help them communicate clearly while making sure they feel heard, respected and at ease. Being able to understand and be understood helps people feel less alone.”
Program graduate Rosemary Rais said time spent in dedicated study of comprehensive literacy skills was especially meaningful given her international background.
“Growing up, I actually was fluent in Chaldean, but what’s different with this is they taught us how to read and write,” Rais said. “That is something truly rare within our community.”
Program graduate Joe Dalal called the ceremony “a dream come true.”
“It’s amazing to be a part of something where we can preserve the language and have everybody else learn our culture,” Dalal said.
Program graduate Rotana Sabri said the workshop created a sense of belonging on campus and inspired students to continue the organization after this year.
“It means community to me,” Sabri said. “It means bringing everyone together.”
As graduates received recognition certificates, Hannawi urged students to carry the mission forward.
“We are relying on you now to pass it to the next generation,” he said.
