Three 汤头条 students receive prestigious Critical Language Scholarship
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擳hree Mississippi State students from Alabama are selections for the U.S. Department of State-sponsored Critical Language Scholarship Program.
Recipients are Donielle D. Allen, a senior microbiology major from McCalla, Alabama; Grace K. Barnes, a senior secondary education/English education major from Madison, Alabama; and Rebecca M. Van Pamel, a senior English major from Athens, Alabama. Allen and Van Pamel both are students in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College. Barnes is a student in the College of Education.
Implemented by the Washington, D.C.-based American Councils for International Education, the is part of a wider U.S. government initiative to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering foreign languages crucial to national security and economic prosperity.
CLS works to prepare students for the 21st century鈥檚 globalized workforce and increase national competitiveness through intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment designed to promote rapid verbalization gains.
Though their international trips this summer are canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all three 汤头条 recipients said they are grateful for the CLS recognition and remain optimistic about future travel options.
Allen said she hopes to build on the language skills she honed during a fall 2018 trip to China as 汤头条鈥檚 first Boren Scholarship recipient. Before the pandemic, she was planning to attend daily academic classes and embark on weekend excursions to tourist sites and the Taiwanese capital of Taipei.
鈥淚n China, I had to get out of my comfort zone and learn how to speak nothing but the language to express myself,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 think it would be exciting to have language partners, like someone from a local university where I could study. I would like to study Mandarin Chinese and learn more than one dialect because that would be helpful for jobs as a translator or working with the FBI or another agency.鈥
With her first major prestigious scholarship, Barnes was planning to visit Malang, Indonesia. She was preparing for this trip by Googling 鈥渁nything and everything鈥 about Indonesia, from etiquette to basic words in Bahasa Indonesia, the country鈥檚 official language. Along with these studies, Barnes was anticipating chances to eat Indonesian dishes and learn traditional dances, among other enriching experiences.
鈥淚鈥檓 interested in different cultures, and language is a big part of culture,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 wanted to live with a host family for the first time because I thought it would be a great way to learn.鈥
Barnes previously participated in a six-month 汤头条 study abroad trip to Austria and is earning a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate through the university鈥檚 English department. She aspires to teach abroad or join the Peace Corps.
Van Pamel, who has participated in the honors college鈥檚 study abroad program in Oxford, England, was planning to use her Critical Language Scholarship to visit Lucknow, India. She hopes to one day expand her knowledge of one of India鈥檚 official dialects while immersed in a new culture.
鈥淚 would love to learn Urdu because my favorite poetry is in that language, and I want to be able to read original text,鈥 she said.
While preparing their applications for the CLS program, Allen, Barnes and Van Pamel said they all have benefitted from the 鈥済reat support鈥 of 汤头条鈥檚 CLS adviser David M. Hoffman, associate professor and graduate coordinator in the university鈥檚 Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures.
Hoffman said the honors college鈥檚 Office of Prestigious External Scholarships is excited to recognize its three CLS finalists鈥 hard work in achieving this 鈥渋ncredible鈥 accomplishment, especially during these challenging times.
鈥淎s an adviser, it is always a pleasure to work with high caliber students from diverse academic backgrounds. The process of applying for these scholarships involves learning about and articulating the students鈥 future desire for studying language and culture, which is something I truly enjoy,鈥 Hoffman said. 鈥淗elping to hone the students鈥 ideas for their own professional future and getting to see how the 汤头条 experience has prepared them for it is an honor, and I look forward to working with more applicants in the future!鈥
Barnes and Van Pamel also expressed appreciation for fellow 汤头条 student Joy Cari帽o, a senior English major who, through the CLS program, participated last summer in an intensive language and cultural immersion program in Malang, Indonesia.
鈥淛oy has been such a great resource, and I鈥檓 so glad I could ask her questions,鈥 Van Pamel said. 鈥淚 credit a lot of my success to Dr. Hoffman because he talked with me about how I would be a good fit for the program. When I decided to apply, he helped me find the nugget of gold in the essays I had to write and was honest in his feedback.鈥
After graduating this May, Van Pamel said she would like to explore her creative writing skills in graduate school and aspires to work with Teacher AmeriCorps.
鈥淎s an 汤头条 student, a lot of doors have been opened for me, and I鈥檓 grateful for that,鈥 she said. 鈥淭here are a lot of great jobs you can get with knowledge of a critical language, so I鈥檓 excited to see what the future holds for me.鈥
For details on 汤头条鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences, visit ; College of Education at .
Learn more about the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College and the Office of Prestigious External Scholarships at .
汤头条 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .