A Program of the U.S. Department of State
Alumni Development Fund
The CLS Alumni Development Fund (ADF) periodically offers small grants to alumni
of the CLS Program through a competitive application process. The ADF has provided opportunities for alumni to continue their language
learning, pursue career development goals, and participate in community
outreach related to CLS languages and their corresponding world
regions. Particular emphasis is placed on projects with an impact beyond
the individual applicant, reaching students, CLS alumni, or others in
their community.
The ADF is not currently open for applications.
Examples of previous Alumni Development Fund projects can be found below.
Paula Zhang (Korean 2017), a 2017 ADF receipient, carried out a virtual mentorship program from November 2017 to March 2018 pairing alumni of both NSLI-Y and CLS with alumni of NSLI-Y looking to apply for CLS, culminating in an event in New York City on March 13, 2018 featuring a Diplomat-in-Residence, a Peace Corps Recruiter, and a Fulbright alum. Her goal was for NSLI-Y alumni to have someone t…
Paula Zhang
Korean 2017
Korean 2017
Tyler Prochazka (Chinese 2014), Elyse Mark (Chinese 2014) and James Davis (Chinese 2016), 2017 ADF recipients, held a series of multicultural and bilingual activities throughout Taiwan discussing the philosophical foundations of Universal Basic Income and the economic feasibility of such a policy. They were able to engage the Taiwanese public, from high school students, to university, to average …
Tyler Prochazka
Chinese 2014
Chinese 2014
Elyse Mark
Chinese 2014
Chinese 2014
James Davis
Chinese 2016
Chinese 2016
Leona Amosah (Russian 2016), a 2016 ADF recipient, hosted an event to increase interest in the Russian department at UNC – Chapel Hill and in Russian studies generally. Leona and a fellow Russian student prepared food for the event and gave presentations on their personal experiences studying and traveling in Russia and invited other students to speak about their motivations to study Russian. Leo…
Leona Amosah
Russian 2016
Russian 2016
Melissa Brzycki (Chinese 2013) and Stephanie Montgomery (Chinese 2013), 2016 ADF recipients, produced and recorded a podcast (“East Asia for All”) with their grant. So far they have three completed episodes available on iTunes with plans to record more on a monthly basis. They hoped to create nuanced, in-depth discussions about East Asian popular culture and media that are both entertaining and i…
Melissa Brzycki
Chinese 2013
Chinese 2013
Kiana Chan (Chinese 2015) collaborated with the Asian Pacific Health Corps at UCLA, which plans and hosts free health fairs for disadvantaged Asian Pacific Islander (API) communities. Her aim was to make health information more accessible to patients in order to empower them to maintain healthy lifestyles. With ADF funds, Kiana created 380 bilingual Mandarin/English health brochures, which were d…
Kiana Chan
Chinese 2015
Chinese 2015
Calynn Dowler (Bangla 2016), Sarah Dodamead (Bangla 2016), Paige Giarmona (Bangla 2016), Deya Maldas (Bangla 2013, 2016), Marshall McCollum (Bangla 2014), and Ian Reed (Bangla 2014), 2016 ADF recipients, collaborated to create a project focused on youth education, environmental conservation, and the promotion of the Bengali language. The group’s India-based team (Dowler, McCollum, and Reed) took …
Calynn Dowler
Bangla 2016
Bangla 2016
Sarah Dodamead
Bangla 2016
Bangla 2016
Paige Giarmona
Bangla 2016
Bangla 2016
Deya Maldas
Bangla 2013
Bangla 2016
Bangla 2013
Bangla 2016
Marshall McCollum
Bangla 2014
Bangla 2014
Ian Reed
Bangla 2014
Bangla 2014
Madeline de Figueiredo (Arabic 2016) and Nicholas Posegay (Arabic 2016), 2016 ADF recipients, launched the University of Chicago’s first Arabic-language publication, a literary magazine titled “UChicago Majalla.” The first issue of the magazine was printed in December 2016 as an educational tool and unifying force among Arabic learners at the university. Students from all years and degree program…
Madeline de Figueiredo
Arabic 2016
Arabic 2016
Nicholas Posegay
Arabic 2016
Arabic 2016
Patrick Bohnenkamp (Arabic 2015), a 2016 ADF recipient, used his funding to hold two community forums titled “Arabic: A Language of Beauty and History” at the Fort Madison Public Library in Fort Madison, Iowa. He wanted to provide an environment in which he could share his experiences with learning Arabic with his community as well as encourage dialogue. He provided Arab snacks and sweets along w…
Patrick Bohnenkamp
Arabic 2015
Arabic 2015
Elizabeth Buckner (Arabic 2008), a 2016 ADF recipient, coordinated and hosted a public event that highlighted student and faculty research that is related to refugee education, focused on the Middle East and North Africa, and, more specifically, on responses to the Syrian refugee crisis. Six speakers addressed various aspects of these issues and shared their academic works with the audience (appr…
Elizabeth Buckner
Arabic 2008
Arabic 2008
Sarah Calderone (Russian 2012), a 2016 ADF recipient, used funds allocated to her through ADF to participate in a research presentation at a roundtable at an academic conference and a student panel at her university. She presented her research at a roundtable titled “New Research and Approaches to the Study of Migration in Russia” at the annual convention of the Association for Slavic, East Europ…
Sarah Calderone
Russian 2012
Russian 2012