Critical Language Scholarship Program | News and Stories

News and Stories

Lauren Chow

Lauren participated in CLS Indonesian in 2018 after teaching with the Fulbright Program in Malaysia for two years. Now an Education Abroad Advisor at Babson College, she uses her experience studying abroad to skillfully guide students.“As a professional in the study abroad field, I have a unique pe…

Alumni Profile — February 25, 2020


Student with Aspirations for Foreign Service Spends Year in Indonesia Practicing Foreign Policy

Unable to speak the language, Camille Bismonte (C’21) did not know that when she first travelled to Indonesia for eight weeks in the summer of 2018 that she would end up studying abroad there for the entirety of her junior year. Now a Boren Scholar, she has won a speech competition, represented the United States at the 12th Annual Bali Democracy Forum, and met the President of Indonesia.

CLS in the Press — February 24, 2020


Dana Fager

Dana Fager is a two-time CLS Japanese scholar, participating in the program in Kyoto, Japan. After graduating with a degree in International Studies, she went on to study in the Master of Science in Foreign Service program at Georgetown University. She now works at the Department of Commerce as an …

Alumni Profile — February 18, 2020


A student abroad: Two summers in South Korea

Once upon a time, at the age of 18, I imagined I would study, work and dwell within my rural town in New Hampshire for my entire life; that all changed once I received the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study abroad for eight weeks in Busan, South Korea during Summer 2018 and Gwangju, South Korea during Summer 2019.

CLS in the Press — February 14, 2020


Vincent DeLaurentis

While Vincent was growing up, his family lived close to a Gurdwara—a Sikh temple—which sparked his interest in learning more about the language and culture of the Punjab region. He was awarded the Critical Language Scholarship twice to study Punjabi in 2015 and 2017 in Chandigarh, India. While Vinc…

Alumni Profile — February 11, 2020


Amy Moyer

Amy participated in CLS Bangla in 2009 and 2010 as a graduate student at Lehigh University studying International Education Leadership. Her advisor worked in Bangladesh and sparked her interest in learning Bangla. Amy quickly connected Bangla with her passion for a career in international education…

Alumni Profile — February 04, 2020


Noah Lerner

Noah participated in the CLS advanced Chinese program in Guangzhou in the summer of 2014 after his sophomore year at Amherst College. Even after living in China for a year prior, the CLS Program had a great impact on advancing his Chinese language proficiency. After returning to the United States a…

Alumni Profile — January 30, 2020


Specht ’20 Announced as Fulbright and Critical Language Semi-Finalist

International Studies and Spanish double major Heidi Specht ’20 has her sights set on working in Brazil after graduation. This month, she’s moved one step closer to making it a reality. She learned that she’s a semi-finalist for both the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Award and Critical Language Scholarship (CLS).

CLS in the Press — January 24, 2020