CLS Alumnus Takes 3rd Prize in Malay Speech Championship

Wyatt Gordon (Malang, Indonesia 2010) made history in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in August of this year by becoming the first American to make it to the finals of the International Malay Language Speech Championship in the competition’s nine years. In front of the Prime Minister of Malaysia and millions of television viewers across Southeast Asia, Wyatt delivered a speech on finding his heritage through language. In the end, the judges awarded him third prize and $3,000. Wyatt began learning Indonesian just five years ago through the CLS program in Malang, Indonesia as a freshman from American University in Washington, DC. Following CLS, Wyatt continued to work on his language skills, earning a Boren Scholarship the following year. In the future, Wyatt is hoping to receive a Fulbright Research Grant to Indonesia to study participatory planning in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.