Critical Language Scholarship Program
The Critical Language Scholarship Program lets US college students from the University of Rochester and elsewhere learn languages essential for global engagement.
The Critical Language Scholarship Program is a summer study abroad opportunity for American college and university students to learn languages essential to America’s engagement with the world, as well as its national security and economic prosperity. Sponsored by the US Department of State, it is part of a government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages, and to attract college students from diverse academic fields to study the languages offered.
Participants are expected to continue their language skills beyond the scholarship period by applying those skills to their future professional careers.
Learn more about the Critical Language Scholarship Program and other fellowship, scholarship, and award opportunities available to Rochester students.
Recent Critical Language Scholars
Congratulations to our most recent University of Rochester Critical Language Scholars!
Clarice McKee ’24
Language: Chinese
Areas of study: History (BA), political science (BA)
The Baldwin, Maryland, native is heading to New Tamkang University in Taipei, Taiwan, to study advanced Chinese. At Rochester, she received the Phi Beta Kappa Suzanne O’Brien Award and was in the history honors program. McKee was a research assistant for faculty in the history and political science departments, served on Mock Trial, and has performed archeology work in the field and in labs in New Mexico, Bermuda, and Colorado. She’ll attend Oxford University to pursue a master’s degree in archaeology with a focus on Asian archaeology.
Daniel Thomas ’26
Language: Japanese
Areas of study: History (BA), Japanese (BA)
Thomas is from Pittsburgh, but his mother grew up in Tokyo, so he was exposed to the Japanese language and culture at a young age. He’s heading to Okayama, Japan, to hone his Japanese language skills while challenging himself to develop new understanding of and insights into the culture. He’s a member of the Army ROTC, color guard, and Tiger Battalion at Rochester Institute of Technology. Thomas is a co-fundraising chair for the University’s student organizations Habitat for Humanity and a member of the Japanese Students’ Association. After graduation, he intends to pursue a career in the US Army.
Past Critical Language Scholars and Alternates
2023 Scholars
Jesse Campanelli '25
Language: Mandarin
Area of study: International relations (BA)
Mikhail “Misha” Studenkov '25, ’25E
Language: Japanese
Areas of study: Japanese (BA), jazz piano (BM)
2021 Scholars
Diego Encinas ’23
Language: Portuguese
Areas of study: Psychology (BA) and Latin American studies (BA)
Minor: Anthropology
Jason Hahn ’23
Language: Russian
Area of study: Optical engineering (BS)
Ada Wightman ’21 (declined)
Language: Punjabi
Area of study: History (BA) and international relations (BA)
Minor: East Asian studies
2020 Alternates
John Cole ’19, '20 (T5)
Language: Chinese
Areas of study: Economics (BA) and international relations (BA)
Jennifer Joseph ’20
Language: Arabic
Areas of study: International relations (BA) and French (BA)
2018 Scholars
John W. Cole ’19, '20 (T5)
Language: Chinese
Areas of study: Economics (BA) and international relations (BA)
Joy P. Nicholas ’19
Language: Swahili
Area of study: Health, behavior, and society (BA)
Minor: Anthropology
Jacqueline Tran ’18
Language: Arabic
Area of study: Anthropology (BA)
Minor: Women's studies
2018 Alternate
Madeline R. Clark ’18
Language: Japanese
Areas of study: Linguistics (BA) and Japanese (BA)
2017 Scholars
Daria E. Lynch ’18, ’19 (T5)
Language: Turkish
Area of study: History (BA)
Minor: Turkish studies
Christian Wooddell ’17
Language: Chinese
Area of study: Anthropology (BA)
2017 Alternate
Patrick McConeghy ’17
Language: Japanese
Areas of study: Applied math (BS) and financial economics (BA)
2016 Scholars
Fatima Bawany ’16
Language: Arabic
Areas of study: Religion (BA) and biology (BA)
Aaron Schaffer ’16
Language: Turkish
Area of study: International relations (BA)
Minors: Sustainability and anthropology
Saralinda Schell ’19
Language: Turkish
Areas of study: Computer science (BS) and international relations (BA)
2016 Scholar-Elect
Patrick McConeghy ’17 (declined)
Language: Japanese
Areas of study: Applied math (BS) and financial economics (BA)
2015 Scholar
Aaron Schaffer ’16
Language: Turkish
Area of study: International relations (BA)
2014 Scholar
Daniel K. Webb ’14
Language: Russian
Area of study: Spanish (BA) and Russian (BA)
Minor: Math
2014 Scholar-Elect
Natalie Y. Tjota ’16 (declined)
Areas of study: Biomedical engineering (BS) and East Asian studies (BA)
2014 Alternates
Fatima R. Bawany ’15
Language: Arabic
Areas of study: Religion (BA) and biology (BA)
Dillon Bowman ’15
Language: Arabic
Area of study: International relations (BA)
Kathleen Dickson ’14
Language: Russian
Area of study: Russian (BA)
Minor: International relations
Shyam Venkateswaran ’14
Language: Bangla
Area of study: Biology (BA)
2013 Scholars
Emily N. Hein ’14
Language: Chinese
Area of study: Chinese studies (BA)
Minors: Music and linguistics
Nathaly Luna ’13
Language: Arabic
Area of study: Arabic and Arabic studies (BA)
Samantha R. Whalen ’15
Language: Indonesian
Area of study: Anthropology (BA)
Simone A. Zehren ’14
Language: Turkish
Area of study: Archaeology, technology, and historical structures (BA) and history (BA)
2013 Scholar-Elect
Alexander J. Turpin ’12E, ’13 (T5) (declined)
Language: Russian
Area of study: Applied music: voice (BM)
2013 Alternates
Spencer T. Kingsbury ’13
Language: Chinese
Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS)
Garrett M. Rubin ’12E, ’13 (T5)
Language: Arabic
Area of study: Applied music: voice (BM)
2012 Scholars
Gabrielle E. Cornish ’13
Language: Russian
Area of study: Russian (BA) and music (BA)
Lili C. Sarayrah ’14E
Language: Arabic
Area of study: Applied music: violin (BM)
2012 Alternate
Madeleine M. Klingler ’13
Language: Russian
Area of study: Russian (BA)
2011 Scholars
Aurora B. Dopp ’13
Language: Arabic
Area of study: International relations (BA)
Zachary Palomo ’13
Language: Russian
Areas of study: International relations (BA) and Russian (BA)
2011 Scholar-Elect
Matthew D. Lavigueur ’12 (declined)
Language: Indian
Areas of study: Political science (BA) and international relations (BA)
2010 Scholars
Leah G. Miller ’12
Language: Arabic
Area of study: Linguistics (BA)
Minor: Arabic
Judith A. Tulkoff ’10
Language: Indonesian
Area of study: Political science (BA)
2009 Scholar
Jenna L. Miller ’11
Language: Russian
Area of study: Russian (BA)
Minor: Anthropology
2009 Alternate
Lillian M. Miller ’10
Language: Russian
Area of study: Russian (BA)
Minor: Art history
2008 Scholars
Sukhmit S. Kalsi ’07
Language: Punjabi
Area of study: English (BA)
Minor: Studio arts
Andrew Lee ’08
Language: Chinese
Areas of study: Economics (BA) and math (BA)
2006 Scholar
Nathaniel K. Powell ’06
Language: Arabic
Areas of study: Political science (BA) and French (BA)