Meet our Arabic Flagship Students

Andrew

Andrew started studying Arabic in high school through the STARTALK program and went on to study abroad in Morocco with NSLI-Y. He is currently a double major at UMD interested in history and comparative politics. In the future, he hopes to do research on the MENA region and use his language skills in an internationally-focused career.

Ashley

Ashley came to study Arabic through her passion for history. She currently works as a tour guide in museums and historic sites like Ford's Theatre and President Lincoln's cottage. She hopes to eventually use her Arabic skills to write, research, or work in education. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys traveling, watching films, reading, and writing. She is also the recipient of the Maryland Transfer Scholarship.

Caterina

Caterina came to study Arabic because she wants to be a human rights lawyer and work with refugees, with a focus in the Middle East. She is also been fascinated by the music, literature, and food from Arabic-speaking countries, and it excites her to be able to one day read my favorite poems in their original language or listen to artists with a real understanding of the culture their music comes from.

Jacqueline

Jacqueline first studied Arabic with STARTALK in high school, and she has been hooked ever since! She hopes to use her interests in Middle Eastern art, culture, and history to build a career in diplomacy and conflict resolution. Jacqueline also studied Italian intensively in high school, studied abroad in Italy, and created the first chapter of the National Italian Honor Society.

Joshua

Joshua is interested in learning Arabic history and politics alongside the Arabic language. His academic interests include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and education reform in the Middle East. When he’s not in class, Joshua enjoys playing basketball and getting involved in community service through CIVICUS, a UMD living-learning program.

Lucy

Lucy first started learning Arabic when she was just 8 years old through a language summer camp. She has been studying the language ever since, and hopes to eventually have a career in government or a humanitarian organization. She loves learning about other cultures and languages and is a recipient of the Qatar Foundation International Academic Excellence Award.

Margaret

Margaret first studied Arabic with the STARTALK program in high school and went on, at the University of Maryland, to declare it as a major in addition to majoring in French Studies. The summer following her freshman year, she participated in the Arabic Summer Language Institute. Margaret hopes to use her combined French and Arabic language skills and interests in Middle Eastern culture, history, and politics in a government career.

Matthew

Matthew was drawn to Arabic because of his love of studying languages and his interest in the Middle East’s many different cultures. He joins our Flagship program after a summer study abroad in Morocco. Matthew is also an athlete and an avid sports fan; he is a member of the triathlon club at UMD and a former soccer player. In his future career, he hopes to become a diplomat and improve relations between the Arab world and the West.

Olivia

Olivia loves to learn new languages and learn about different cultures around the world. She chose to learn Arabic because she knew nothing about the language or the culture. After taking her first Arabic class she knew she wanted to continue learning Arabic. Her future career goals are to teach Arabic in high schools and community colleges. She wants to be able to offer students the same opportunities to learn a new language, and to learn about another culture that some may not have ever heard of. Olivia is the recipient of the President’s Transfer Scholarship and her academic interests include Second Language Acquisition, and she will pursue a Master’s degree in that field.

Winona

Winona started learning Arabic in high school. It is her fourth language, alongside Spanish and Indonesian. She is a recipient of several UMD scholarships, including the Bright Futures Scholarship, and is interning with the National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce. She hopes to use her Arabic in a career in international development or immigration and refugees. Her hobbies include traveling and playing and teaching the piano.

Zachary

After studying both Hebrew and Spanish in middle school, Zachary decided to try Arabic because it was offered at his high school. After studying it in high school he knew he loved it and wanted to study it in college and make a career out of it. In addition to high school, he also studied in STARTALK at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and has done an intensive summer program at University of Chicago. He hopes to use his language skills in a future government career.