Political Science majors, Isaiah Brown '24 and Sofia Marino '21, receive a 2021 Critical Language Scholarship

The CLS Program is an intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program for American students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities. 

Congratulations to Isaiah Brown '24 and Sofia Marino '21, recipients of the 2021 Critical Language Scholarship.  Isaiah will study Russian and Sofia will participate in an Arabic program.  Students spend eight to ten weeks abroad studying one of 15 critical languages. The program includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains. Most languages offered by the CLS Program (9 of 15) do not require applicants to have any experience studying critical languages.

CLS, a program of the U.S. Department of State, is part of a wider government initiative to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering foreign languages that are critical to national security and economic prosperity. CLS plays an important role in preparing students for the 21st century's globalized workforce and increasing national competitiveness.

The CLS Program offers instruction in the following languages: Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu.