Arts & Sciences Students Advance in CLS Programs

This spring, several A&S students have advanced in the selection process for prestigious programs offered by the U.S. Department of State.

They will know in March 2025 if they have been selected for the CLS Spark award. We wish them good luck as they navigate their journey.

Critical Language Scholarship

The U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) program is a fully funded summer overseas language and cultural immersion program for American undergraduate and graduate students. With the goal of broadening the base of Americans studying and mastering critical languages and building relationships between the people of the United States and other countries, CLS provides opportunities to a diverse range of students from across the United States at every level of language learning. The CLS scholarship is one of the most competitive scholarships in the U.S. and the most prestigious language program for U.S. citizens. They will know in March 2025 if they have been selected for the CLS scholarship. We wish them good luck as they navigate their journey.

• Elisabeth Starosta, a junior majoring in biochemistry with plans to earn a MD/PhD and in the Honors Program, is named a 2025 semifinalist to learn intermediate-level Chinese. Elisabeth was a 2024 Spark scholar, and participated in the CLS Refresh Program this past fall. Watch Elisabeth describe her experience in Chinese!
• Christopher Scott, a senior majoring in physics, is named a 2025 semifinalist to learn Russian as an Advanced Beginner. Christopher was also a 2024 Spark scholar, and participated in the CLS Refresh Program this past fall.

Critical Language Scholarship Spark

The U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Spark program is a virtual initiative for U.S. undergraduate students to learn languages essential to America’s engagement with the world. Designed to leverage best practices in online language learning developed by the CLS Program during the pandemic, CLS Spark provides American students the opportunity to study critical languages virtually when they may not have access to studying these languages on their campuses.

• Ava Spaeth, a junior majoring in criminal justice and forensic science, is named a semifinalist to learn Korean for beginners.
• Josef Starosta, a freshman majoring in global studies in the pre-medicine program, is named a semifinalist to learn Japanese for beginners.