Three University of Richmond Students Awarded Critical Language Scholarships from State Department
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND — Three University of Richmond students have been awarded a Critical Language Scholarship.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the CLS program provides immersive language learning opportunities for students to learn languages essential to America's engagement with the world. Selected student scholars spend eight to 10 weeks studying one of 12 critical languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu.
Leo Barnes, a sophomore from Hanover, New Hampshire, will use the scholarship to study Brazilian Portuguese at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. While there, he’ll participate in intensive language study and stay with a local family. A global studies major, Barnes has previously studied and worked in Portugal and Indonesia, and is pursuing fluency in both Indonesian and Portuguese.
Bonny Bruzos, a first-year student from Jacksonville, Florida, has received a CLS Spark scholarship, which provides virtual language learning opportunities. Bruzos will study Mandarin Chinese, taught by the LTL Language School in Beijing, China. In addition to eight weeks of online language study, Bruzos will participate in cultural activities and individual consultations with language instructors at the host institute. Bruzos intends to major in philosophy and film studies.
Maya Casillas, a senior from Wayne, Pennsylvania, will use the CLS scholarship to study Modern Standard Arabic and the Moroccan dialect at the Arab American Language Institute in Meknes, Morocco. While in Morocco, she will further her language studies by staying with a host family and meeting with a local language partner. Casillas, a history and Arabic major, has also studied with the Embassy of Oman’s Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., and at the Sijal Institute in Amman, Jordan. She intends to pursue post-graduate education in history.
Finalists for the CLS program are selected from a pool of about 5,000 applicants. To date, 33 University of Richmond students have received this scholarship.
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