Rachel Sider

“CLS gave me the initial boost of confidence to make friendships in a foreign language, try new foods for which I only know the Arabic name and, eventually, dream in the language. This was the foundation on which my professional life in the Middle East has unfolded.”

Rachel Sider participated in CLS Arabic in 2012 as a sophomore in college, and now works as the Advocacy Manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council’s humanitarian program in Syria. CLS was her first introduction to the Middle East, and she has been involved in the region ever since. CLS developed the foundation of her language skills and career working on humanitarian policy in the Middle East.

“Being proficient in Arabic and having familiarity with multiple dialects, as well as developing cross-cultural competency, were major advantages in my early career search, and today these factors make me much more comfortable living abroad.”

Rachel is still using her Arabic seven years after her CLS summer, and she continues to cross paths with participants from her CLS cohort who share similar career ambitions and passions.

“What I treasure most about CLS is the diversity of its participants and the network of language lovers it endows.”