Five SLLC students awarded Critical Language Scholarships
June 24, 2022
These language students were were awarded the U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) for intensive language study in summer 2022
The SLLC is proud to announce that five of the seven Critical Language Scholars at UMD are our language students. The scholars will study for 8 to 10 weeks in their host countries (one recipient will participate virtually), fully immersed in their target languages and cultures. These scholars will receive 20 hours a week of formal language instruction, work with language partners, enjoy cultural excursions and other enriching activities, all designed to promote rapid language gain.
The CLS Program provides opportunities to U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to study one of 15 critical languages: Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, or Urdu. The CLS Program is developed in partnership with local institutions in countries where these languages are commonly spoken. CLS scholars are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship and apply their critical language skills in their future careers.
Evan Finnessy - Arabic
Evan is a rising junior double majoring in Russian and Arabic. He was also a member of the College Park Scholars International Studies Program.
Alice Fisher - Persian
Alice is a rising sophomore double majoring in Government and Politics with an International Relations concentration and Persian Studies. She is a member of the Honors Global Communities living-learning program.
William Horton - Chinese
William is a rising junior double majoring in Government and Politics with an International Relations concentration and in Chinese. He is also pursuing a minor in International Development and Conflict Management. He was a member of the College Park Scholars International Studies Program.
Patrick Kelly - Chinese
Patrick just graduated with a Master of Public Policy degree with a specialty in International Security and Economic Policy from the School of Public Policy.
Josie Urrea - Chinese
Josie is a rising senior double majoring in Public Policy and Chinese. She was also a member of the College Park Scholars International Studies Program.
Applications open each year in the Fall. If you are interested in applying to the program or speaking to a UMD advisor, please contact the National Scholarships Office at clsholarship@umd.edu