Three Sewanee students—Lala Hilizah, C’21, Jasmine Huang, C’21, and Campbell Stuart, C’20, have been awarded Critical Language Scholarships sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
Three Sewanee students—Lala Hilizah, C’21, Jasmine Huang, C’21, and Campbell Stuart, C’20, have been awarded Critical Language Scholarships sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is an intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program for American college students. Students spend eight to 10 weeks abroad studying one of 15 languages deemed critical to national security and economic prosperity.
Hilizah will study Arabic at the Arab American Language Institute in Meknes, Morocco; Stuart will study Korean in Busan, South Korea, at Pusan National University; and Huang will study Chinese in Suzhou, China. Read their reactions to the awards in the Sewanee Purple.
The highly competitive program is part of a U.S. government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages. Participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship period, and later apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers.
CLS applications are reviewed by language faculty, area specialists, study abroad professionals, and fellowship advisors as part of the selection process, which is based on applicants’ academic record, potential to succeed, adaptability, and commitment to language learning.
Sewanee’s last CLS recipient was DeAndre Espree-Conaway, who studied Indonesian, in 2012. Three Sewanee students also received the scholarship in 2009: Karimeh Moukaddem, Christopher Tipler, and Mary Tippens.
Photo credit Klarke Stricklen for the Sewanee Purple
